Monitoring ambient air: techniques and standards

This webpage provides a summary of techniques and standards to monitor ambient air recommended by the UK Environment Agency for the following pollutants:

• Ammonia and ammonium aerosol
• Asbestos
• Benzene
• Bioaerosols
• Carbon disulfide
• Carbon monoxide
• Dioxins and furans
• Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls
• Elemental and organic carbon in particulate matter
• Formaldehyde and other aldehydes
• Halogenated volatile organic compounds
• Heavy metals (excluding mercury)
• Hydrogen sulfide and inorganic reduced sulfur compounds
• Inorganic acids (HNO3, HCl, HF, HBr, H3PO3)
• Man-made mineral fibres
• Mercaptans
• Mercury
• Nitrogen oxides
• Nuisance dust (dustfall)
• Nuisance dust (flux)
• Odour
• Ozone
• Particle number concentration
• Particle number size distribution
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Sulfur dioxide
• Sulfur (total)
• Suspended particles as black smoke or black carbon
• Suspended particulate matter as PM10 or PM2.5
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)