Air Quality in Voorschoten

Good air quality is beneficial to human health. In Europe, there are standards governing the permissible concentrations of pollutants in outdoor air. Although these standards are periodically tightened, this does not mean that concentrations that meet the standards have no health effects. Even exposure to low concentrations can cause health problems.

Assessing Air Quality

The main sources of air pollution in the Netherlands are traffic, industry, households, and agriculture. Determining air quality in the Netherlands involves a combination of measurement and calculation. Background concentrations are measured, and calculated emissions from local traffic sources are added to these.

National Air Quality Collaboration Program

Air quality in the Netherlands has already improved significantly over the past few decades, thanks to European policies such as cleaner vehicles and fuels. For most air pollutants, the Netherlands meets the applicable standards. However, concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter were so high at some locations that the Netherlands requested a delay from Brussels in meeting the standards for these pollutants. To this end, the National Air Quality Cooperation Program (NSL) was established. This program consists, on the one hand, of a list of major spatial projects that degrade air quality and, on the other hand, of measures that more than compensate for the negative effects of those projects.

Air Quality in Voorschoten

The NSL Monitor is used annually to track trends in air quality in the Netherlands. In Voorschoten, air quality meets the applicable standards.

The municipality assesses plans for land-use development based on their impact on air quality.