The quality of air in the atmosphere has an effect on our health and well being. Air pollution can damage our health.
Since 1997 Local Authorities have been carrying out reviews and assessments of the prevailing air quality within their area. The aim of such reviews is to make sure that national air quality air standards are met and the potential risk of health effects from air pollutants is at the lowest possible level.
Air Quality is presently monitored at various locations throughout the Borough for nitrogen dioxide in the ambient air. This has sources from burning of fossil fuels and vehicle exhaust discharges and significant cumbustion processes both within the borough, nationally and supra nationally. This monitoring of nitrogen dioxide is part of a national programme with all monitoring results held on a national database for the Welsh Air Quality Forum. For more information: 
www.welshairquality.co.uk
As well as monitoring air quality the Council has a statutory duty to periodically review and assess the air quality in its area.
The Environment Act 1995 introduced a system of Local Air Quality Management for the UK to ensure pollutant concentrations are at safe levels. The pollutants of concern are: carbon monoxide, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, lead, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particles.
The First and Second Reviews were completed at the end of 1998 and 2000 respectively. These found that the risk of the air quality objectives being exceeded in this area was negligible and therefore unnecessary for the Authority to proceed to declaring an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA).
In February 2004 an Updating and Screening Assessment was completed which reviewed the present and predicted air quality within Merthyr Tydfil and an Executive Summary is available of our Updating and Screening Assessment Executive Summary. This assessment illustrated that it is unlikely that the air quality objectives will be exceeded in this area.
Where standards are not met the Authority must designate an Air Quality Management Area which would require action plans to be drawn up to bring the standards back to specified limits. This has not been required in Merthyr Tydfil at present.
Air radiation levels ara also measured as part of a national monitoring network to provide a baseline of background readings used in the event of any nuclear incident worldwide.