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Regulation 2 Definitions

Changes not yet applied. Later legislation changes this provision in ways not yet written into the text below:

(1)

In these Regulations–

  • “agglomeration" means a zone with a population concentration in excess of 250,000 inhabitants or, where the population concentration is 250,000 inhabitants or less, a population density per km2 for which the Scottish Ministers consider that the need for ambient air to be assessed or managed is justified;

  • “alert threshold" has the meaning given by regulation 8(2);

  • “ambient air" means outdoor air in the troposphere, excluding work places;

  • “assessment" means any method used to measure, calculate, predict or estimate the level of a relevant pollutant in the ambient air;

  • “fixed measurements" means measurements taken at fixed sites either continuously or by random sampling, the number of measurements being sufficiently large to enable the levels observed to be determined;

  • “level" means the concentration of a relevant pollutant in ambient air;

  • “limit value" has the meaning given by regulation 3(1);

  • “lower assessment threshold" has the meaning given by regulation 5(5);

  • “margin of tolerance" means the percentage of the limit value by which this value may be exceeded subject to the conditions laid down in Schedule 1;

  • “natural events" means volcanic eruptions, seismic activities, geothermal activities, wild-land fires, high-wind events or the atmospheric resuspension or transport of natural particles from dry regions;

  • “oxides of nitrogen" means the sum of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide added as parts per billion and expressed as nitrogen dioxide in microgrammes per cubic metre;

  • “PM2.5" means particulate matter which passes through a size-selective inlet with a 50% efficiency cut-off at 2.5μm aerodynamic diameter;

  • “PM10" means particulate matter which passes through a size-selective inlet with a 50% efficiency cut-off at 10μm aerodynamic diameter;

  • “relevant pollutants" means sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead;

  • “upper assessment threshold" has the meaning given in regulation 5(5); and

  • “zone" means a part of the territory of Scotland which is designated by Scottish Ministers for the purposes of these Regulations and shown on a map published by the Scottish Executive, Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, the National Assembly of Wales and Department of Environment Northern Ireland on 19 January 2001, a copy of which is deposited at the offices of the Scottish Executive, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ and displayed on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/environment/ airquality/publications.asp

(2)

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to–

(a)

a numbered Regulation or Schedule is a reference to the Regulation in, or Schedule to, these Regulations bearing that number; and

(b)

a numbered paragraph is a reference to the paragraph in that Regulation or Schedule bearing that number in the Regulation in which the reference appears.