Stage 1 Air Quality Review Glossary
Terms used in the report
AQMA
Air Quality Management Area
Benzene
An aromatic hydrocarbon.
Carcinogen
Any agent that that can produce cancer
CO
Carbon Monoxide
DETR
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Diffusion Tube
Diffusion tubes are passive devices that sample pollutants by absorption onto chemically coated discs
EPAQS
Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards
Genotoxic Carcinogens
Substances that can cause cancers by attacking genetic material.
Hydrocarbons
Chemical compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen
Lead
A toxic and cumulative poison
NAQS
National Air Quality Strategy, issued by the Department of the Environment in 1997
Nitrogen Oxide (NO)
A colourless toxic gas arising from the combustion of atmospheric nitrogen with oxygen in high temperature combustion
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
A stable gas more toxic than NO
NOx
Oxides of nitrogen, the sum of NO and NO2
PAHs
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
PM10
Particulate matter 10 microns (10 millionths of a metre) or less in diameter
ppb
parts per billion
ppm
parts per million
ug/m3
Micrograms per cubic metre
micron
1 micron = 1 millionth of a metre
VOCs
Volatile Organic Compounds
WHO
World Health Organisation
