Legislation on Ambient Air Quality
The monitoring and management of Ambient Air Quality in Cyprus is performed under the provisions of the Ambient Air Quality Laws of 2010 to 2020 and series of Regulations that determine limits for the Ambient Air Quality of certain pollutants. The competent Authority for the implementation of the above legislation is the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance via the Department of Labor Inspection (DLI) and more specifically the Air Quality and Strategic Planning Section, which has the necessary infrastructure, the necessary know-how, the experience and equipment for the implementation of the aforementioned legislation.
The Ambient Air Quality Laws 2010 to 2020 (Law 77(Ι)/2010, Law 3(I)/2017 and Law 20(Ι)/2020), together with the Regulations P.I. 111/2007, P.I. 327/2010, P.I. 37/2017, P.I. 38/2017 harmonize the Directives 2004/107/EC, 2008/50/EC and 2015/1480/EU regarding the ambient air quality matters.
The legislation (Laws and Regulations), which governs the ambient air quality matters in Cyprus, is found in the website of the Department of Labour Inspection (press here).
This legislation lays down measures aimed at the following:
- defining and establishing objectives for ambient air quality designed to avoid, prevent or reduce harmful effects on human health and the environment as a whole;
- assessing the ambient air quality in Member States on the basis of common methods and criteria;
- obtaining information on ambient air quality in order to help combat air pollution and nuisance and to monitor long-term trends and improvements resulting from national and Community measures;
- ensuring that such information on ambient air quality is made available to the public;
- maintaining air quality where it is good and improving it in other cases;
- promoting increased cooperation between the Member States in reducing air pollution.
This legislation defines limit values with the aim the prevention, the avoidance and the restriction of the adverse effects of certain atmospheric pollutants on human health and the environment. These limit values are shown in the following table.
Moreover, this legislation defines air quality zones and includes provisions for the handling of air pollution problems and the improvement of the quality of the atmospheric environment per zone. In the framework of this legislation it is determined that Cyprus consists one zone for all pollutants.
Table: Limit values and target values of atmospheric pollutants according to the relevant legislation
| Pollutant | Limit value | Averaging period | Permitted exceedences each year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Particulate Matter (PM2.5) |
25 µg/m3 (until 20 µg/m3 (from 1.1.2020) |
1 year | n/a |
| Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 350 µg/m3 | 1 hour | 24 |
| 125 µg/m3 | 24 hours | 3 | |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 200 µg/m3 | 1 hour | 18 |
| 40 µg/m3 | 1 year | n/a | |
| Particulate Matter (PM10) | 50 µg/m3 | 24 hours | 35 |
| 40 µg/m3 | 1 year | n/a | |
| Lead (Pb) | 0.5 µg/m3 | 1 year | n/a |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 10 mg/m3 | Maximum daily 8 hour mean | n/a |
| Benzene | 5 µg/m3 | 1 year | n/a |
| Pollutant | Target value | Averaging period | Permitted exceedences each year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozone (O3) | 120 µg/m3 | Maximum daily 8 hour mean | 25 days averaged over 3 years |
| Arsenic (As) | 6 ng/m3 | 1 year | n/a |
| Cadmium (Cd) | 5 ng/m3 | 1 year | n/a |
| Nickel (Ni) | 20 ng/m3 | 1 year | n/a |
| Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) |
1 ng/m3 (expressed as concentration of Benzo(a)pyrene) |
1 year | n/a |
Notes:
-
Limit Value: A level fixed on the basis of scientific knowledge, with the aim of avoiding, preventing or reducing harmful effects on human health and/or the environment as a whole to be attained within a given period and not to be exceeded once attained.
-
Target Value: A level fixed with the aim of avoiding, preventing or reducing harmful effects on human health and/or the environment as a whole, to be attained where possible over a given period.