Abstract

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in Asian countries are typically based on WHO guidelines or USEPA standards. For instance, many Asian countries have adopted carbon monoxide (CO) guidelines and standards from either WHO or USEPA while particulate matter (PM) standards have been adopted from USEPA. Most of Asian countries have less stringent standards than WHO guideline, particularly standards for PM and sulphur dioxide (SO2). There are a number of constraints such as economic and technological feasibility that influence the establishment of NAAQS. Hence, national standards might not be sufficient set up to protect public health and environment. Nowadays, there is a tendency from WHO and EU standpoint for stricter air quality standards. Recent scientific evidence showed that health risks at current concentrations are observed in many cities, although threshold values of health effect for PM, SO2 and ozone (O3) are uncertain. Thus, the current NAAQS in Asia should be revised for health risk reduction, taking into consideration of the EU directive, 1999 and WHO Air Quality guidelines, 2005. A political will to move towards stricter standards in Asia is necessary for successful procedures. Incremental steps for progressive reduction are recommended for standards implementation.

Presentation: http://www.cleanairnet.org/baq2006/1757/docs/SP1_4.ppt