"Air Quality Legislation"

Air pollution is recognized as a major global environmental issue. Air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), toxic heavy metals, particulate matter (both PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) are of big concern because of their health effects. They differ in their chemical behavior, emission sources, time of permanence in the atmosphere and ability to diffuse in long or short distances and have adverse effects both on human health and on the environment. Air pollutants, especially those more persistent, travel over long distances and cross national boundaries drawing the attention of policy-makers on a environmental issue that requires a coordinated action at global scale. Significant progress has been achieved over the past 20 years, especially in European Union and in United States in reducing anthropogenic (i.e., associated to human activities) air emissions by adopting ad-hoc air pollution policy and legislation. Air quality guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and various initiatives for improving air quality in Europe, USA and China through the establishment of appropriate environmental policy and legislation, are briefly discussed.