NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME BOROUGH COUNCIL Air Quality Review and Assessment Stage 1 January 1999 January 1999 A.H. Hudson, MSc, BSc, MBA, MCIEH, MinstWM, Head of Environmental Services, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Civic Offices, Merrial Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 2AG Contents Page Foreword Abstract 1 Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council 2 Map 1 – Location of Borough 4 1. Aims and Objectives 5 2. National Air Quality Strategy 6 3. Local Air Quality Management 8 4. First Stage Review and Assessment 10 5. Review and Assessment of Benzene 11 6. Review and Assessment of 1,3-Butadiene 15 7. Review and Assessment of Carbon Monoxide 18 8. Review and Assessment of Lead 22 9. Review and assessment of Nitrogen Dioxide 27 10. Review and Assessment of PM 10 32 11. Review and Assessment of Sulphur Dioxide 38 12. Summary of Key points 43 13. Future Recommendations 44 List of Tables Table 1 – Pollutants and Associated Air Quality Objective Levels 7 Table 2 – Roads with predicted Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) Flows greater than 50,000 20 Page Table 3 – Roads with predicted Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) Flows greater than 20,000 29 Table 4 – Roads with predicted Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) Flows greater than 25,000 35 Table 5 – Summary of Key Points 43 Appendices Appendix 1 – Part A authorised processes. Appendix 2 – Part B processes. Appendix 3 – Pollutant Background Concentration Maps for 1996 Map 2 – Benzene Background Concentrations Map 3 – Carbon Monoxide Background Concentrations Map 4 – Lead Background Concentrations Map 5 – Nitrogen Dioxide Background Concentrations Map 6 – Particulate (PM10) Background Concentrations Map 7 – Secondary Particulate (PM10) Background Concentrations Map 8 – Sulphur Dioxide Background Concentrations. Appendix 4 – List of Consultees. Appendix 5 – Nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube results. This document is printed on 100% recycled paper FOREWORD The implementation of the Clean Air Acts since the 1950’s has had a marked effect in improving air quality and particularly in relation to emissions from domestic open fires and industrial premises, and in regulating open burning and bonfires. There is, however, increasing public concern over air quality as a result of the proliferation of vehicular traffic on our highways, and whilst the implementation of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 has enabled controls to be imposed on some of the more polluting processes there is still a need to improve the quality of the air we breathe. The health effects of air pollution are now well established – it worsens the condition of those who are already ill and contributes to tens of thousands of hospital admissions and premature deaths each year. The Government has reviewed the National Air Quality Strategy in order to look at the prospects for delivering clean air more quickly. The Deputy Prime Minister has recently been quoted as saying that improving the quality of the air we breathe would be “put on the fast track”. The Environment Act 1995 requires the Council to carry out a review and assessment of local air quality. It was originally envisaged that this work would commence in 1999, however this deadline has been brought forward by one year to speed up the process. The deadline for compliance with several of the targets has also been brought forward. This document details the first stage review undertaken in Newcastle-under-Lyme and assesses air quality in relation to seven key pollutants. The review identifies the need for further work to be carried out in relation to most pollutants. You are invited to comment on this work and the content of this consultation draft. You can send your written comments to me at the following address: - Mr. Alan Hudson, MSc., BSc.,MBA,MCIEH,MinstWM., Head of Environmental Services, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Civic Offices, Merrial Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. ST5 2AG This important task has inevitably placed additional pressures on staff in the Environmental Health Service and I would like to place on record my thanks and appreciation for their hard work in compiling this document. Alan Hudson, Head of Environmental Services, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, ABSTRACT Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 requires Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to periodically review and assess air quality within its boundary. It is necessary to consider the present quality of air and the likely future quality of air by the end of 2005. For the purposes of this document, the review of air quality means the consideration of current and likely future air pollution levels for which prescribed objectives have been set and the assessment of air quality is to consider whether those levels estimated for the end of 2005 are likely to be in exceedance of the levels set down in the prescribed objectives. In the first stage of the review and assessment it has been necessary to compile and collate information on existing and proposed pollutant sources and consider whether persons might be reasonably exposed over the relevant averaging period for each individual pollutant at the present time and in the future. Where sources with the potential to emit significant quantities of pollutants have been identified during the first stage, then it will be necessary to proceed to the second stage for those pollutants. With seven pollutants to review and assess, the first stage approach has confirmed that there is a requirement to proceed to the second stage for five of the pollutants, notably carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, PM10 and sulphur dioxide. The two not requiring progression to the second stage are benzene and 1,3-Butadiene. The decisions to proceed, or not, are summarised in Table 5. In carrying out this duty, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has joined with the other Staffordshire Authorities, the environment agency and the Highways Authority to form the Staffordshire Air Quality Forum. This has facilitated the effective collection, collation and dissemination of information relating to pollution issues in the area. THE BOROUGH OF NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME The Borough is located in North Staffordshire and covers an area of 21,096 hectares (81 square miles), with a population of approximately 123,000. Newcastle’s strategic location at the important junction between the roads running north from London to Carlisle and west to Chester, (see map 1 overleaf) has ensured that transport has played a major part in its growth. In addition to these historical routes, modern trunk roads also pass through the Borough. These include the M6 which is currently one of the most heavily congested roads in the country. Also the A500 which is a major route linking many areas of Newcastle-under- Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent with junctions 15 and 16 of the M6. Both of these junctions lie within the Borough and thus contribute to the traffic congestion in the area. A number of main roads converge on the two main towns in the Borough, notably Newcastle-under- Lyme and Kidsgrove. The A34, A52, A525, A527, and the A53 pass through Newcastle and the A50, A5011 and A34 pass through Kidsgrove. Traffic on these roads is a significant source of air pollutants affecting the air quality in the Borough. The other main sources being industry and domestic properties. Particular industries with the greatest potential to cause air pollution have been prescribed for air pollution control under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Some processes are regulated by the Environment Agency (these are referred to as Part A processes), and others are regulated by local authorities (these are referred to as Part B processes). Within the Borough there are currently 2 Part A processes and 49 Part B processes. These are all listed in Appendices 1 and 2 along with a table indicating whether they have the potential to emit significant quantities of the relevant pollutants. Prior to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 the main legislative control of air pollution was through the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968. As a consequence of which local authorities were able to set up smoke control areas to restrict the types of fuel burned. Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council started its smoke control programme in 1961 and this was completed in 1995. All the urban areas of the Borough are now covered by Smoke Control Orders and this has resulted in reduced concentrations of smoke and sulphur dioxide as compared with the first half of this century when ‘smogs’, i.e. the combination of fog with smoke and sulphur dioxide, were commonplace. Such smogs resulted in premature deaths and chronic respiratory illness. The introduction of the smoke control areas and the control of dark smoke emissions from industry have brought about a visible improvement in air quality in the Borough. However the pollutants of concern now are not easily seen and therefore it is not readily obvious if concentrations are increasing. Hence the need for the review and assessment of air quality which is currently being undertaken. MAP 1 1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aims of this report are: 1. To investigate both the present and future air quality in the Borough of Newcastle–under–Lyme. 2. To make an assessment of air quality in relation to the requirements of the National Air Quality Strategy. 3. To make recommendations regarding the subsequent management of air quality within the Borough of Newcastle–under–Lyme. The objectives of this report are: 1. To identify the principle sources of the relevant pollutants affecting air quality within the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. 2. To identify areas within the Borough which are likely to experience the highest concentrations of these pollutants. 3. To indicate whether present and predicted air quality in the Borough is likely to comply with the Air Quality Objectives.