What do we mean by Air Quality?
"Air Quality" is the term used to describe and classify the concentration of certain pollutants in the air. These pollutants have the potential to adversely affect human health at elevated concentrations.
What are the Council’s Responsibilities?
Under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995, local authorities are required to review and assess air quality within their areas. The primary objective of this exercise is to identify areas where air quality is unlikely to meet the objectives prescribed in the Air Quality Regulations (Wales) 2007 at locations which are situated outside of buildings or other natural or man-made structures, above or below ground, where members of the public are regularly present (relevant locations). The process of reviewing and assessing air quality represents a cornerstone in the system of local air quality management (LAQM).
The National Air Quality Strategy (NAQS) and The Air Quality (Wales) Regulations 2007 set health-based Standards and Objectives for eight key pollutants. Measures contained in the NAQS are designed to cut emissions and improve air quality in coming years and, generally, enable achievement of the Objectives
The Environmental Health Officer's within the Housing & Pollution Enforcement section are responsible for monitoring air quality within Torfaen.