Air Quality Expert Group Report on Particulate Matter in the United Kingdom

This is the second report of the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG). The report provides an update of the science of particulate matter and an assessment of the attainability of the Air Quality Strategy objectives and EU limit values for particulate matter. The report aims to address the key policy-related questions put to AQEG by Defra and the Devolved Administrations in the Report Requirements document (31 KB) .

The files below are available as downloadable Adobe Acrobat pdf files. Further information is available on our Help page about downloading or reading Adobe Acrobat documents.

• Report summary (1.74 MB - Note large file size)

Main report

• Contents (147 KB)

• Chapter 1 - Introduction (59 KB)

• Chapter 2 - What is Particulate Matter? (84 KB)
  Corrected Figure 2.2 available at this link (33 KB)

• Chapter 3 - What is causing the health effects of particles? (66 KB)

• Chapter 4 - Sources of particles in the UK (614 KB)

• Chapter 5 - Methods for monitoring particulate concentrations (198 KB)

• Chapter 6 - What do the measurements tell us?:
  • 6.1 - Overview of particulate matter mass concentration data (356 KB)
  • 6.2 - Spatial distribution of particulate matter (429 KB)
  • 6.3 - Episodicity of particle concentrations (506 KB)
  • 6.4 - Use of correlations, concentrations or chemistry to elucidate particle sources (572 KB)

  • 6.5 - Particle number: Concentrations and size distributions (205 KB)

• Chapter 7 - What are the main trends in particulate matter in the United Kingdom? (153 KB)

• Chapter 8 - Modelling of particulate matter (1.17 MB Note large file size)

• Chapter 9 - Discussion (181 KB)

• Chapter 10 - Conclusions and recommendations (53 KB)

• Abbreviations and glossary (33 KB)

• Annex 1 (32 KB)

• Annex 2 (36 KB)

• Annex 3 (38 KB)

• Annex 4 (33 KB)

• Annex 5 (109 KB)

• Annex 6 (59 KB)

• Annex 7 (39 KB)

• Annex 8 (69 KB)

• Annex 9 (52 KB)

• References and bibliography (77 KB)

• Data proforma (144 KB)

Hard copies of this report (PB10580) are available from:

Defra Publications
Admail 6000
London SW1A 2XX
Telephone: 08459 556000

A draft version of this report was consulted on last year. The consultation is available at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/particulate-matter/index.htm