Air Pollution in Northern Ireland 2016 released

Date published: 5 December 2017

This statistical report is updated annually and contains information on key air quality monitoring results and analysis from data collected by automatic monitoring stations located within the districts of local authorities.

Download the Air Pollution in Northern Ireland - 2016 report

The key points are:

• Data was collected from 21 automatic monitoring stations in Northern Ireland for all, or part of, 2016.
• The report provides details of air quality monitoring undertaken here and gives a summary of results, as well as long-term trends. It also sets out information on the progress being made by councils in managing local air quality.
• Air quality objectives for most key air quality pollutants were met in full. Objectives for nitrogen dioxide – a pollutant closely associated with road traffic – were not met at three sites that are close to busy roads. (In addition, exceedance was also projected for a fourth site - Dungiven – however, due to operational issues the analyser had only 14% data capture during the reporting year).
• Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pollutants associated with domestic solid fuel burning, which are measured at three sites, exceeded the EU Target Value for benzo[a]pyrene – a representative PAH – in one location. This follows three years when there were no site exceedances of the EU target value. Against the stricter UK Air Quality Strategy objective for PAHs, all three sites exceeded.
• Along with the Department, district councils have a duty to carry out air quality monitoring, and where air quality falls below acceptable levels they are required to declare Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs). In the 2016 reporting year there were 24 AQMAs in Northern Ireland.