Curriculum vitae For the compilation album, see

ACCURATELY MONITORING TRACE POLLUTANTS 
Man-made and naturally occurring volatile organic compounds, such as methanol 
or acetone, affect air quality and the climate by the formation of ozone and 
aerosols. The World Meteorological Organization‘s Global Atmosphere Watch 
monitoring network tracks these trace compounds and aerosols to increase our 
understanding of climate trends and the success of mitigation strategies. Improving 
the accuracy of networks monitoring data requires improved links between lab-
based calibrations and networked instruments. 
MEASURING ROADSIDE AIR POLLUTION 
Air pollution, such as that generated by road vehicles, is known to harm public 
health, damage biodiversity and contribute to climate change. In response, Europe 
has made air pollution one of its main concerns and developed an extensive body 
of legislation, establishing limit values for major air pollutants such as NO
2
and 
particulate matter, to improve human health and environmental quality. 

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Download the full case study
 
Air pollution, such as that generated by road vehicles, is known to harm public 
health, damage biodiversity and contribute to climate change. In response, the EU 
has made air pollution one of its main concerns and developed an extensive body 
of legislation to improve human health and environmental quality. Central to this 
regulatory framework is the European Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC), which 
establishes limit values for major air pollutants such as NO
2
and particulate matter. 
Air pollution continues to be responsible for more than 430,000 premature deaths 
each year in Europe. Automotive vehicles are a major source of air pollution - of 
particular concern are the fine particles emitted by diesel and direct injection petrol 
engines. To improve public health and environmental quality, the EU regulates 
pollution from road vehicles and new passenger cars must meet the European 
emission standards (the standard currently in force is known as Euro 6) before they 
can be type approved. 
Supporting global efforts to reduce greenhouse and polluting gas emissions, the 
EU‘s Industrial Emissions Directive introduces new limits and reporting rules. 
Europe‘s gas plant operators are expected to identify and measure leaks, but 
tougher limits require greater measurement accuracy beyond that of current 
authorised methods. Advanced optical measurement techniques exist but these 
need robust performance evaluation and protocols for use before consideration 
as methods for demonstrating compliance with the Directive. 
The EU‘s Industrial Emissions Directive, which aims to protect human health and 
the environment, requires pollution reporting from oil and gas plant operators 
against regulated emissions limits. Strict standards are being established for 
monitoring total plant emissions, but current measurement techniques lack the 
required accuracy to meet new lower emission limits. Optical measurement 
techniques can meet requirements, but to be authorised for use, must first be 
rigorously validated. 
Mercury, a highly toxic metal, can be released into the environment from human 
sources. European and international treaties are in force to limit its emission, 
introducing the need for reliable mercury monitoring. Cheap and easy to use 
sensors that can be deployed anywhere in the world and capable of operating 
without power supplies are needed for monitoring atmospheric mercury levels. 
Mercury is highly toxic and once released into the environment bioaccumulates 
into fish and seafood. Released from burning fossil fuels and broken fluorescent 
light fittings its emissions are regulated by international treaties and EU Directives. 
For industrial polluters to demonstrate regulatory compliance mercury emissions 
are carefully monitored. But the continuing use of an empirical equation for 
calibration and non-optimised chemical analysis methods hinder a robust 
measurement hierarchy. 

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