Environmental Assessment Levels (EALs) are used by the Environment Agency (EA) to judge the acceptability of proposed emissions to air from industrial sites, and their relative contribution to the environment. EALs represent a pollutant concentration in ambient air at which no significant risks to human health are expected. In 2012, the EA ran a consultation to identify a new hierarchy for the derivation of EALs.
Using their revised methodology and working with Public Health England (now UK Health Security Agency), the EA reviewed and published revisions to the EALs for 10 existing substances and introduce EALs for two new substances in September 2021. In the second phase, they are currently running a project reviewing EALs for a further 10 substances and prioritising the remaining substance EALs for further review.
This webinar explored these updates to the EALs and next steps.
Relevant links are as follows:
- Air emission risk assessment guidance - Air emissions risk assessment for your environmental permit - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- 2012 consultation document on Derivation of new Environmental Assessment Levels (EALs) to air -
- Link to the 2020 consultation page which relates to phase I discussed in the webinar. The consultation document is at the bottom of the page and a link to our responses to the consultation is at the top - Environmental assessment levels (EALs) used in air emissions risk assessments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- There was a question related the uncertainties of modelling amines and nitrosamines chemical reactions in the atmosphere from post-combustion carbon capture and storage. Alun mentioned AQMAU’s work on this in his answer. Here is a link to that document - Best Available Technology (BAT) information for CCS - UKCCSRC
