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Air quality measurements in the Netherlands 2020

RIVM Annual report

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Authors
Affiliation

Pleuni Bongers

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)

Dennis Mooibroek

Published

December 19, 2025

1 Air quality monitoring network in the Netherlands

Air quality in the Netherlands is monitored by the National Air Quality Monitoring Network (LML), which is administered by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in collaboration with its regional partners. The resulting data provide a detailed picture of air quality and the concentrations of the various pollutants at the monitoring stations.

This annual report gives an overview of the key measurement values for specific pollutants in 2020 from measurements by RIVM and two of its regional partners DCMR Environmental Protection Agency (DCMR) and The Public Health Service of Amsterdam (GGD Amsterdam). Measurements are carried out under EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation by RIVM under L224 in collaboration with its regional partners DCMR (L520) and GGD Amsterdam (L426) who are accredited according to the same ISO standard. Analysis of heavy metals is outsourced to an external analytical laboratory that is accredited according to EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 under L026. See Appendix A for an overview of all the accreditation certificate numbers for the measurements in this report. Appendix A also includes an overview of ambient air quality limit values. Besides the current limit values from the 2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC directives, this report will take into account the revised EU directive (2024/2881) on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe and, in some occasions, the Air Quality Guideline (AQG) levels from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported in 2021.

The air quality monitoring sites have specific encoding for EU reporting, where all sites in the Netherlands start with NL, followed by 10 for RIVM sites (L224), 01 for DCMR measurement sites (L520) and 49 for sites from GGD Amsterdam (L426). The remaining 3 numbers denote the unique monitoring site. When hovering over the site codes in this report’s tables, the Dutch site name and location along with the responsible monitoring network will show up. For more information on the monitoring sites (including coordinates), monitoring instruments, and sampling practices, please consult the metadata on the LML data catalog on the public RIVM website. For additional information including measurement uncertainties, see the accompanying README.

2 Key concentration values per component

The upcoming tables contain the key statistics per component for 2020, where mean is the yearly averaged concentration - based on either hourly or daily (24-h) values, P50 and P98 denote the 50th and 98th percentile, max is the maximum measured concentration value, n is the number of valid data points in hours or days, % is the percentage of valid data, max.roll.24 denotes the maximum value of the rolling 24-h mean and max.roll.8 of the 8-h mean. All of these values are in µg/m³ unless otherwise specified and with the exception of values for lead, arsenic, cadmium, nickel and benzo(a)pyrene, which are in ng/m3. Columns that are colored in red indicate an exceedance of the EU limit values from 2008/50/EC or 2004/107/EC, orange represents an exceedance of the revised EU limit values from EU Directive 2024/2881. For several pollutants, additional columns have been added relating to component-specific target values. The summary tables where the annual means have been grouped by site type, only contain yearly averages where data capture meets EU requirements.

Most numbers in this report have been rounded to one decimal place and where deemed logical, to 0 or 2 decimal places. However, for testing against the limit values, the rounding practices of the limit values in the relevant EU Directives have been taken into account, of which most are a whole number. Key statistics rounded to more decimal places than in this report are available on the RIVM public data catalog for air quality measurements, as well as the underlying hourly and daily data.

For some pollutants, relevant statistics are also plotted on an interactive map to provide a quick overview of the concentration distribution throughout the Netherlands and compliance with limit values, and to view specific stations more easily. Every dot represents an individual station and clicking on it will bring up a pop-up with the site code and name, the responsible network, the site type, the component, and the relevant value for that component. Please note that the colors do not necessarily match the colors in the tables of the key statistics. Instead, where possible, the same color categories have been used as the European Environment Agency (EEA) applies in their maps for easier comparison with European data. Only stations with at least 85% of valid data have been included in the maps.

2.1 Nitrogen dioxide

Key statistics for NO2 in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n % exc_2002 max.roll.24 max.roll.8
Rural Background

NL10107

 13.2 10.6 37.1 74.6 10.6 8735 99.4 0 47.9 58.7

NL10131

 13.2 10.1 40.5 73.0 10.1 8742 99.5 0 39.0 60.4

NL10133

 9.5 7.8 29.8 57.2 7.8 8733 99.4 0 43.9 48.2

NL10230

 16.9 12.3 58.1 315.0 12.3 8693 99.0 13 73.0 167.4

NL10235

 13.8 11.6 37.6 82.0 11.6 8659 98.6 0 49.4 57.5

NL10246

 14.0 11.2 42.9 81.6 11.2 8741 99.5 0 48.1 63.4

NL10301

 11.7 8.8 40.6 131.1 8.8 8655 98.5 0 49.9 59.9

NL10318

 12.4 8.6 43.8 118.7 8.6 8687 98.9 0 48.2 83.6

NL10437

 16.1 13.2 45.6 110.5 13.2 8690 98.9 0 49.6 66.7

NL10444

 12.0 8.9 41.5 73.4 8.9 8515 96.9 0 50.8 54.2

NL10538

 13.0 8.6 49.0 140.3 8.6 8683 98.8 0 57.0 88.6

NL10617

 10.0 7.7 34.7 55.4 7.7 8707 99.1 0 44.9 50.8

NL10633

 11.4 8.9 37.3 64.0 8.9 8662 98.6 0 45.7 48.7

NL10644

 13.2 10.7 39.0 62.4 10.7 8378 95.4 0 44.4 49.6

NL10722

 11.6 9.4 32.6 46.2 9.4 8754 99.7 0 38.7 43.2

NL10738

 12.1 9.8 36.0 78.2 9.8 8546 97.3 0 55.1 54.5

NL10807

 9.2 7.2 30.0 48.9 7.2 8694 99.0 0 40.0 43.8

NL10818

 8.9 7.0 29.2 65.7 7.0 8721 99.3 0 43.7 49.2

NL10918

 8.2 6.1 29.6 58.0 6.1 8690 98.9 0 51.0 55.2

NL10929

 8.6 6.6 27.7 89.8 6.6 8620 98.1 0 35.6 47.1

NL10934

 7.3 5.6 24.4 53.0 5.6 8618 98.1 0 36.9 50.9

NL49703

 15.2 11.7 48.0 100.3 11.7 8654 98.5 0 54.7 57.9
Urban Background

NL01485

 20.8 16.6 62.1 177.6 16.6 8649 98.5 0 80.0 135.8

NL01488

 20.5 16.4 59.2 158.5 16.4 8752 99.6 0 73.6 114.0

NL01494

 25.6 21.8 66.1 156.4 21.8 8716 99.2 0 87.9 103.0

NL01495

 24.6 21.4 63.2 176.9 21.4 8763 99.8 0 95.0 134.9

NL01912

 20.5 17.0 56.4 120.9 17.0 8761 99.7 0 66.6 97.3

NL10138

 12.1 9.2 38.8 69.8 9.2 8627 98.2 0 49.0 50.4

NL10241

 17.1 13.9 50.2 121.2 13.9 8687 98.9 0 58.0 71.0

NL10247

 13.3 10.6 38.9 66.4 10.6 8754 99.7 0 45.0 54.9

NL10404

 18.8 14.2 59.4 130.7 14.2 8700 99.0 0 69.5 85.2

NL10418

 23.7 20.0 61.7 144.9 20.0 8651 98.5 0 72.4 90.5

NL10442

 16.5 13.5 48.2 142.2 13.5 8752 99.6 0 55.1 81.6

NL10446

 20.0 15.9 59.4 120.1 15.9 8549 97.3 0 65.9 84.9

NL10643

 15.5 12.4 46.3 83.5 12.4 8764 99.8 0 54.9 62.3

NL10742

 16.1 13.3 45.3 115.0 13.3 8726 99.3 0 48.3 76.8

NL10938

 8.8 6.8 28.1 65.7 6.8 8645 98.4 0 45.7 52.0

NL49003

 16.7 13.6 50.7 93.4 13.6 8712 99.2 0 59.0 61.9

NL49014

 17.1 13.9 50.2 80.7 13.9 8694 99.0 0 61.3 66.4

NL49019

 19.9 16.2 58.4 122.7 16.2 8655 98.5 0 64.4 90.0

NL49021

 15.1 12.2 46.3 77.9 12.2 8755 99.7 0 55.5 60.6

NL49022

 15.3 11.5 49.7 78.6 11.5 8669 98.7 0 66.4 66.2

NL49701

 18.2 13.3 56.6 102.4 13.3 8727 99.4 0 63.8 67.3
Roadside

NL01487

 32.5 29.8 76.4 157.6 29.8 8754 99.7 0 114.2 137.5

NL01489

 26.7 23.9 67.2 131.2 23.9 8755 99.7 0 73.1 112.3

NL01491

 26.1 22.9 66.3 147.6 22.9 8656 98.5 0 69.3 99.4

NL01493

 30.6 27.3 75.1 191.2 27.3 8750 99.6 0 101.9 123.3

NL01908

 26.3 23.3 65.7 129.9 23.3 8228 93.7 0 86.8 98.8

NL10136

 18.4 15.3 54.2 117.2 15.3 8715 99.2 0 57.4 75.5

NL10236

 17.4 14.9 46.8 88.1 14.9 8764 99.8 0 50.0 71.8

NL10237

 21.1 18.3 54.6 112.3 18.3 8758 99.7 0 58.4 86.9

NL10240

 23.4 20.4 62.1 143.4 20.4 8607 98.0 0 72.1 98.4

NL10445

 23.6 20.2 62.5 114.9 20.2 8600 97.9 0 67.0 83.1

NL10449

 27.2 23.6 68.5 139.6 23.6 8645 98.4 0 87.7 113.2

NL10550

 19.5 16.2 53.6 116.9 16.2 8752 99.6 0 60.9 73.6

NL10636

 19.6 16.7 53.6 94.1 16.7 8581 97.7 0 61.0 73.8

NL10639

 21.8 18.3 57.3 114.5 18.3 8710 99.2 0 63.3 89.4

NL10641

 20.4 17.9 54.4 92.4 17.9 8726 99.3 0 61.0 73.0

NL10741

 24.1 21.5 58.0 171.7 21.5 8761 99.7 0 80.0 109.1

NL10937

 19.1 16.9 48.3 100.7 16.9 8745 99.6 0 53.5 68.2

NL49002

 30.9 27.7 76.3 169.3 27.7 8658 98.6 0 96.1 124.1

NL49007

 33.8 30.6 81.3 119.7 30.6 8594 97.8 0 90.8 111.3

NL49012

 26.9 22.7 72.1 143.4 22.7 8747 99.6 0 87.6 107.2

NL49017

 24.5 21.3 62.7 125.7 21.3 8464 96.4 0 82.8 102.2

NL49020

 28.1 24.3 74.4 136.8 24.3 7994 91.0 0 88.3 105.6
Industrial

NL01496

 24.4 21.0 71.1 192.3 21.0 8685 98.9 0 110.6 135.1

NL01913

 16.7 15.3 39.8 51.5 15.3 518 5.9 0 30.5 36.1

NL49704

 21.4 16.8 62.8 126.0 16.8 8713 99.2 0 67.5 94.4
* Hovering over the station code will show the site name, location and responsible monitoring network
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the future EU limit value from 01-01-2030 (2024/2881/EC)
and red of the current EU limit value (2008/50/EC)
2 Number of hours where concentrations exceed 200 µg/m³
- Color indicates exceedance of > 3 times (orange) or > 18 times (red) per calendar year
Table 1: Key concentration values for nitrogen dioxide in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual NO2 means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Rural Background 11.9 22
Urban Background 17.9 21
Roadside 24.6 22
Industrial 22.9 2
Table 2: Summary table for nitrogen dioxide in 2020 (in μg/m3)

2.2 Particulate matter

Key statistics for PM10 in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n % exc_50_d2
Rural Background

NL10131

 18.1 13.8 53.0 76.0 13.8 362 98.9 11

NL10133

 14.3 12.6 32.5 114.0 12.6 365 99.7 1

NL10230

 18.1 14.5 49.7 76.4 14.5 366 100.0 6

NL10235

 15.9 14.0 35.2 47.4 14.0 364 99.5 0

NL10246

 14.5 12.4 35.1 41.8 12.4 357 97.5 0

NL10318

 15.4 12.6 40.4 49.6 12.6 364 99.5 0

NL10437

 15.4 13.6 39.2 51.1 13.6 363 99.2 1

NL10444

 15.8 14.6 35.6 81.7 14.6 363 99.2 1

NL10538

 14.8 13.1 37.0 52.9 13.1 361 98.6 1

NL10617

 14.4 12.5 32.0 64.3 12.5 361 98.6 1

NL10633

 13.8 11.7 31.3 83.5 11.7 357 97.5 1

NL10644

 14.4 12.5 32.1 77.9 12.5 365 99.7 1

NL10722

 14.9 13.3 31.1 50.4 13.3 366 100.0 0

NL10738

 16.5 14.5 36.8 99.5 14.5 363 99.2 1

NL10807

 14.5 12.9 34.6 60.3 12.9 360 98.4 1

NL10818

 13.4 11.6 33.0 59.3 11.6 359 98.1 1

NL10918

 12.6 10.9 28.9 55.6 10.9 358 97.8 1

NL10929

 13.3 11.2 32.9 89.7 11.2 354 96.7 2

NL10934

 14.3 12.4 33.3 71.6 12.5 352 96.2 1

NL49703

 14.6 12.5 33.4 80.7 12.5 362 98.9 1
Urban Background

NL01485

 16.5 14.5 38.8 77.5 14.5 359 98.1 1

NL01488

 17.6 15.7 40.3 105.7 15.7 359 98.1 1

NL01494

 19.2 17.3 38.3 88.7 17.3 358 97.8 1

NL01495

 16.1 14.0 37.2 80.1 14.0 344 94.0 1

NL01912

 19.0 17.1 38.9 71.9 17.1 362 98.9 3

NL10138

 14.6 13.1 31.5 82.2 13.1 355 97.0 1

NL10241

 17.6 15.2 42.6 60.1 15.2 358 97.8 1

NL10247

 15.9 13.9 36.7 51.1 13.9 365 99.7 1

NL10404

 18.8 16.3 42.7 133.2 16.3 345 94.3 3

NL10418

 18.2 15.9 38.4 110.2 16.0 360 98.4 1

NL10442

 16.1 14.4 32.6 78.9 14.4 364 99.5 2

NL10446

 16.2 14.3 32.9 86.5 14.4 364 99.5 2

NL49014

 15.7 14.1 33.4 73.7 14.1 358 97.8 1

NL49016

 17.0 15.6 34.8 92.5 15.6 344 94.0 1

NL49701

 16.3 14.6 34.5 58.2 14.6 363 99.2 1
Roadside

NL01487

 21.7 19.0 48.7 89.9 19.1 354 96.7 6

NL01489

 20.6 19.1 39.5 79.7 19.1 361 98.6 2

NL01491

 17.1 15.3 36.8 97.0 15.3 357 97.5 1

NL01493

 20.3 18.1 41.8 75.6 18.1 358 97.8 2

NL01908

 20.2 17.8 39.3 55.5 17.8 355 97.0 3

NL10136

 16.9 14.9 37.4 143.3 14.9 363 99.2 3

NL10236

 16.5 14.2 37.4 91.3 14.2 365 99.7 1

NL10237

 18.9 16.9 41.3 82.2 16.9 365 99.7 1

NL10240

 17.9 15.9 40.5 52.3 15.9 365 99.7 1

NL10445

 19.5 17.6 41.7 156.6 17.6 361 98.6 3

NL10449

 19.2 17.5 37.6 71.7 17.5 365 99.7 2

NL10550

 17.5 16.1 36.2 111.8 16.1 365 99.7 1

NL10636

 16.0 14.2 32.7 123.7 14.2 361 98.6 1

NL10639

 16.8 15.0 34.3 77.1 15.0 361 98.6 1

NL10641

 15.0 13.1 32.6 75.5 13.1 365 99.7 1

NL10741

 21.1 19.3 46.1 101.6 19.3 365 99.7 5

NL10937

 19.1 17.5 39.8 111.5 17.6 366 100.0 2

NL49007

 17.2 15.2 37.8 88.0 15.2 358 97.8 1

NL49012

 18.7 16.8 38.8 87.7 16.8 357 97.5 1

NL49017

 17.3 15.8 36.1 82.3 15.8 362 98.9 1

NL49020

 17.9 16.2 38.4 70.6 16.2 357 97.5 1
Industrial

NL01496

 18.6 16.4 42.8 83.2 16.5 358 97.8 3

NL01913

 14.7 14.4 23.1 23.1 14.4 20 5.5 0

NL49704

 16.4 13.5 36.2 74.5 13.5 362 98.9 2
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the future EU limit value from 01-01-2030 (2024/2881/EC)
and red of the current EU limit value (2008/50/EC)
2 Number of days where concentrations exceed 50 µg/m³
- Red color indicates exceedance of > 35 times per calendar year
Table 3: Key concentration values for PM10 in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual PM10 means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Rural Background 15.0 20
Urban Background 17.0 15
Roadside 18.3 21
Industrial 17.5 2
Table 4: Summary table for PM10 in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Key statistics for PM2.5 in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n %
Rural Background

NL10131

 10.4 8.6 27.4 56.2 8.6 359 98.1

NL10230

 9.7 7.7 28.3 40.2 7.7 359 98.1

NL10444

 8.3 6.6 22.3 64.2 6.6 359 98.1

NL10538

 7.3 5.6 22.8 41.6 5.6 340 92.9

NL10644

 7.9 6.4 22.8 59.3 6.4 356 97.3

NL10738

 9.2 7.2 24.1 69.6 7.2 356 97.3

NL10934

 6.5 4.8 21.1 49.5 4.8 362 98.9

NL49703

 9.1 7.3 25.6 71.9 7.3 353 96.4
Urban Background

NL01488

 10.2 8.2 31.7 115.7 8.2 361 98.6

NL01494

 9.7 7.6 29.7 83.3 7.6 360 98.4

NL01495

 10.0 7.8 30.2 74.9 7.8 341 93.2

NL10138

 7.2 5.6 23.1 55.2 5.6 359 98.1

NL10241

 7.6 5.4 26.2 40.9 5.4 348 95.1

NL10247

 9.9 8.3 27.3 41.1 8.3 363 99.2

NL10404

 7.1 4.8 24.9 102.5 4.9 356 97.3

NL10418

 8.4 6.1 27.4 80.1 6.1 360 98.4

NL10643

 9.0 7.0 25.1 107.5 7.0 362 98.9

NL10742

 9.8 8.2 26.9 107.8 8.2 359 98.1

NL10821

 7.6 5.8 23.5 111.1 5.9 352 96.2

NL10938

 6.9 5.3 20.3 65.5 5.3 331 90.4

NL49014

 9.6 7.4 26.2 66.5 7.4 359 98.1

NL49016

 9.7 7.7 25.9 82.0 7.7 354 96.7

NL49701

 9.9 8.0 28.0 76.4 8.0 362 98.9
Roadside

NL01487

 13.3 10.9 34.9 87.0 10.9 354 96.7

NL01489

 9.2 7.1 26.1 78.1 7.1 359 98.1

NL01491

 9.8 8.0 29.1 94.3 8.0 352 96.2

NL10136

 8.2 6.5 26.3 91.3 6.5 358 97.8

NL10240

 9.4 7.4 28.6 37.9 7.4 363 99.2

NL10448

 9.8 7.8 27.5 65.9 7.8 363 99.2

NL10449

 10.1 7.8 31.0 87.7 7.8 357 97.5

NL10636

 10.4 8.6 26.0 89.9 8.6 359 98.1

NL10641

 8.5 6.9 23.3 54.6 6.9 363 99.2

NL10741

 9.8 8.0 27.1 68.8 8.0 361 98.6

NL10937

 7.3 5.3 21.5 76.3 5.3 361 98.6

NL49007

 8.7 6.6 24.7 77.2 6.6 356 97.3

NL49012

 10.5 8.4 29.3 79.6 8.4 358 97.8

NL49017

 9.4 7.6 26.3 75.6 7.6 360 98.4
Industrial

NL01496

 9.0 7.1 30.6 49.2 7.1 355 97.0

NL01913

 9.0 8.1 16.9 16.9 8.2 20 5.5

NL49704

 10.5 8.5 26.9 67.1 8.5 351 95.9
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the future EU limit value from 01-01-2030 (2024/2881/EC)
and red of the current EU limit value (2008/50/EC)
Table 5: Key concentration values for PM2.5 in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual PM2.5 means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Rural Background 8.5 8
Urban Background 8.9 15
Roadside 9.6 14
Industrial 9.7 2
Table 6: Summary table for PM2.5 in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Statistics to determine the AEI for PM2.5
2018 2019 2020 average_3y
Urban Background

NL01494

 13.7 12.8 9.7 12.1

NL10138

 10.0 8.5 7.2 8.6

NL10241

 12.7 9.1 7.6 9.8

NL10247

 12.9 11.9 9.9 11.5

NL10404

 10.2 8.6 7.1 8.6

NL10418

 11.0 9.5 8.4 9.6

NL10643

 11.5 10.5 9.0 10.3

NL10742

 12.0 10.6 9.8 10.8

NL10821

 10.3 8.9 7.6 8.9

NL10938

 10.7 8.5 6.9 8.7

NL49014

 10.8 10.4 9.6 10.3

NL49701

 12.8 11.2 9.9 11.3
* A hyphen is used in case of insufficient valid data to provide an annual mean
Table 7: Annual means for PM2.5 (in μg/m3) on selected urban background sites and the 3-year average to determine the Average Exposure Indicator (AEI)

The Average Exposure Indicator (AEI) for PM2.5 assesses the general population’s long-term exposure to fine particles in urban areas and is based on a 3-year average measured at urban background stations. The AEI in year 2020 is 10 µg/m³.

2.3 Sulphur dioxide

Key statistics for SO2 in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n % exc_350_h2 max.roll.24 max.roll.8 exc_125_d3 mean_winter4
Rural Background

NL10133

 0.5 0.3 3.2 13.6 0.3 8580 97.7 0 5.3 10.5 NA 0.4

NL10318

 0.8 0.3 4.8 43.5 0.3 8653 98.5 0 5.4 12.9 NA 0.6

NL10444

 0.6 0.4 3.1 31.6 0.4 8622 98.2 0 3.1 7.4 NA 0.6

NL10644

 0.5 0.3 2.7 11.6 0.3 8701 99.1 0 4.1 6.9 NA 0.4

NL10722

 0.5 0.2 3.0 15.2 0.2 8417 95.8 0 3.5 8.6 NA 0.4

NL10934

 0.3 0.2 1.6 7.8 0.2 8655 98.5 0 1.9 3.3 NA 0.2
Urban Background

NL01485

 1.8 1.0 11.8 53.0 1.0 8565 97.5 0 30.4 33.9 0 1.4

NL01495

 0.9 0.5 6.2 84.1 0.5 8775 99.9 0 11.3 28.9 0 1.1

NL49016

 0.3 0.1 2.4 15.6 0.1 8661 98.6 0 3.2 8.3 0 0.5
Industrial

NL01484

 3.9 2.2 22.3 94.7 2.2 8762 99.8 0 27.1 43.0 0 5.3

NL01496

 1.4 0.9 7.6 128.6 0.9 8621 98.1 0 11.3 30.5 0 1.3

NL49704

 0.5 0.3 3.1 19.7 0.3 8718 99.2 0 4.7 9.9 0 0.6
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the yearly limit value of 20 µg/m³ (2024/2881/EC)
2 Number of hours where concentrations exceed 350 µg/m³
- Color indicates exceedance of > 3 times (orange) or > 24 times (red) per calendar year
3 Number of days where concentrations exceed 125 µg/m³
- Red color indicates exceedance of > 3 times per calendar year
4 Mean concentrations in winter (1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021)
for assessing the critical level for the protection of vegetation and natural ecosystems
- Red color indicates exceedance of 20 µg/m³
Table 8: Key concentration values for sulphur dioxide in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual SO2 means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Rural Background 0.5 6
Urban Background 1.0 3
Industrial 1.9 3
Table 9: Summary table for sulphur dioxide in 2020 (in μg/m3)

2.4 Ozone

For ozone, there is no limit value based on the annual mean, instead the number of days where the maximum daily rolling 8-h mean of ozone concentrations exceed 120 µg/m³ is assessed. For the long-term objective, this may not be exceeded on any day. The target value for the protection of human health takes into account data that is averaged over three years. Until 1 January 2030, 120 µg/m³ may not be exceeded on more than 25 days per calendar year averaged over three years and thereafter, it’s set to a maximum of 18 days. See Table 12 for the number of exceedance days in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and their 3-year averages.

In addition, the number of days on which at least one exceedance of the information or alert threshold value is observed, is shown in the columns exc_info and exc_alert in the table below. The information threshold for ozone is 180 µg/m³ for one-hour ozone concentrations and the alert threshold for ozone is 240 µg/m³ for one-hour ozone concentrations.

The ‘Accumulated Ozone exposure over a Threshold of 40 parts per billion’ (AOT40), expressed in (µg/m³) × hours, means the sum of the difference between hourly concentrations greater than 80 µg/m³ (= 40 parts per billion) and 80 µg/m³ over a given period using only the 1-hour values measured between 8:00 and 20:00 Central European Time (CET) each day (EU Directive 2024/2881). The target value for AOT40 is 18000 µg/m³ x h averaged over 5 years. Note that the aot40 values in the table are only for the year 2020 and based on measurements from May up to and including July.

Another widely used ozone indicator for health impact assessment recommended by WHO called somo35 is given in the table. This represents the sum of all daily maximum 8 hour moving averages over 35 ppb - equivalent to 70 µg/m³.

Key statistics for O3 in 2020
mean P50 P98 max median n % max.roll.24 max.roll.8 exc_1201 exc_info2 exc_alert3 aot404 somo355
Rural Background

NL10107

 50.1 50.0 122.0 215.6 50.0 8670 98.7 120.4 179.2 22 2 0 10508.4 4092.0

NL10131

 48.9 48.3 122.7 208.0 48.3 8660 98.6 114.6 178.9 20 5 0 10334.0 4062.0

NL10230

 48.9 48.6 122.6 206.0 48.6 8587 97.8 128.6 179.8 22 4 0 8932.5 3767.9

NL10235

 47.9 46.7 121.9 221.6 46.7 8624 98.2 129.7 196.1 21 8 0 9120.1 3899.2

NL10301

 55.9 56.5 115.1 223.7 56.5 8591 97.8 135.0 187.9 18 5 0 7905.3 3748.2

NL10318

 52.3 51.7 118.0 246.2 51.7 8526 97.1 137.2 193.8 15 5 1 8723.1 3703.2

NL10437

 49.2 49.3 114.2 197.4 49.3 8653 98.5 121.6 173.1 15 4 0 7159.6 3163.1

NL10444

 55.9 59.3 120.5 222.7 59.3 8610 98.0 128.1 192.0 19 7 0 8392.2 4115.6

NL10538

 55.3 57.2 108.6 168.9 57.2 8661 98.6 116.5 147.9 11 0 0 5978.4 3099.1

NL10617

 50.1 50.5 109.2 171.7 50.5 8647 98.4 108.9 156.6 11 0 0 6282.1 3050.1

NL10633

 49.9 50.0 114.8 184.5 50.0 8561 97.5 119.3 165.8 13 2 0 7115.6 3270.6

NL10644

 48.9 48.3 118.6 201.8 48.3 8664 98.6 123.1 169.2 16 4 0 8192.7 3587.4

NL10722

 46.1 43.9 116.4 166.4 43.9 8673 98.7 112.1 157.5 17 0 0 7589.1 3325.6

NL10738

 47.1 47.5 113.8 191.2 47.5 8455 96.3 117.8 164.3 12 1 0 5821.3 3061.0

NL10807

 49.9 49.8 114.2 188.5 49.8 8497 96.7 119.1 177.2 12 1 0 6442.5 3357.5

NL10818

 52.5 53.0 113.5 180.2 53.0 8575 97.6 119.8 168.4 13 0 0 6851.2 3402.7

NL10918

 54.7 55.3 109.2 172.4 55.3 8624 98.2 112.5 153.4 10 0 0 5798.4 3108.2

NL10929

 50.8 50.8 112.7 184.9 50.8 8526 97.1 110.9 167.2 11 1 0 5826.1 3282.6

NL10934

 52.5 53.4 100.7 147.2 53.4 8650 98.5 99.8 141.9 7 0 0 3632.3 2585.7
Suburban Background

NL10133

 48.6 49.2 117.5 177.5 49.2 8652 98.5 116.8 162.2 15 0 0 8785.4 3478.8

NL10247

 52.0 51.4 129.8 208.2 51.4 8667 98.7 140.3 189.0 26 7 0 11341.9 4668.8

NL10938

 53.0 53.9 105.9 159.9 53.9 8614 98.1 101.7 146.8 9 0 0 5497.8 3082.6
Urban Background

NL01485

 46.7 47.2 108.2 205.0 47.2 8725 99.3 121.8 171.3 14 4 0 5275.2 2658.8

NL01494

 42.4 42.5 101.7 181.8 42.5 8769 99.8 117.9 169.0 10 2 0 3996.4 2197.2

NL01495

 46.0 45.8 106.4 221.7 45.8 8769 99.8 129.7 188.4 12 4 0 5171.2 2743.2

NL10138

 54.6 54.7 124.9 215.8 54.7 8668 98.7 124.9 184.8 26 3 0 12521.9 4727.5

NL10241

 48.9 48.2 124.1 208.8 48.3 8644 98.4 138.0 187.6 20 7 0 8575.6 3717.0

NL10404

 49.9 51.9 113.3 204.8 51.9 8656 98.5 139.2 180.4 14 4 0 5854.1 2713.4

NL10418

 47.2 47.3 115.1 207.1 47.3 8640 98.4 137.3 182.5 16 6 0 7302.8 3276.6

NL10442

 51.5 51.4 125.2 207.1 51.4 8646 98.4 129.1 180.1 21 4 0 9964.0 4109.8

NL10446

 49.7 51.7 112.3 207.4 51.7 8582 97.7 179.4 184.5 15 3 0 7386.0 3219.9

NL10643

 47.8 47.6 114.6 176.0 47.6 8669 98.7 123.2 165.5 13 0 0 5873.7 3047.0

NL10742

 50.2 48.9 119.9 186.1 48.9 8583 97.7 124.2 170.3 16 1 0 8443.9 3748.0

NL49003

 48.1 49.9 101.0 157.4 49.9 8647 98.4 103.2 147.5 7 0 0 3300.6 2161.6

NL49014

 49.9 51.1 112.7 187.1 51.1 8720 99.3 125.8 178.2 13 2 0 5227.0 3034.2
Roadside

NL01489

 40.1 38.3 109.2 212.2 38.3 8768 99.8 128.7 176.6 13 4 0 4697.4 2601.0

NL01493

 40.0 40.5 95.0 178.8 40.5 8758 99.7 115.5 154.5 8 0 0 2499.9 1649.3

NL10236

 49.1 48.1 119.0 191.6 48.1 8598 97.9 140.3 172.4 17 2 0 8058.7 3487.1

NL10449

 42.7 42.3 105.8 190.8 42.3 8671 98.7 115.6 166.8 12 3 0 5218.0 2475.5

NL10550

 50.1 52.6 108.2 193.0 52.6 8631 98.3 114.5 171.5 11 2 0 4905.5 2808.8

NL10636

 46.2 45.5 114.7 180.5 45.5 8558 97.4 128.5 170.8 13 1 0 5892.1 3131.0

NL10639

 46.2 46.0 111.7 179.8 46.0 8599 97.9 128.4 166.7 12 0 0 5429.0 2879.8

NL10641

 43.3 42.9 105.1 169.8 42.9 8642 98.4 106.6 153.5 8 0 0 4052.2 2183.7

NL49012

 45.3 47.0 97.0 158.0 47.0 8660 98.6 100.0 145.8 6 0 0 1967.0 1700.6
Industrial

NL01496

 51.2 51.4 114.0 273.9 51.4 8706 99.1 152.5 226.0 15 6 1 6637.1 3540.2
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
1 Number of days where the maximum daily rolling 8-h mean of ozone concentrations exceed 120 µg/m³
- Orange color indicates exceedance of > 18 times per calendar year
2 Number of days on which at least one exceedance of the threshold value for information of the public is observed
(one-hour ozone concentration > 180 µg/m³ (information threshold))
3 Number of days on which at least one exceedance of the threshold value for alerting the public is observed
(one-hour ozone concentration > 240 µg/m³ (alert threshold))
4 Accumulated amount of Ozone over the Threshold value of 40 ppb (May - July), related to vegetation [µg/m³ h]
- Blue color indicates exceedance of 18000 [µg/m³ h]
5 Sum of max. 8 hour moving averages > 35 ppb or 70 [µg/m³ d] (WHO)
Table 10: Key concentration values for ozone in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual O3 means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Rural Background 50.9 19
Suburban Background 51.2 3
Urban Background 48.7 13
Roadside 44.8 9
Industrial 51.2 1
Table 11: Summary table for ozone in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Number of exceedance days for O3
2018 2019 2020 average_3y1
Rural Background

NL10107

 27 18 22 22

NL10131

 33 16 20 23

NL10230

 13 20 22 18

NL10235

 20 18 21 20

NL10301

 11 17 18 15

NL10318

 10 - 15 12

NL10437

 13 13 15 14

NL10444

 16 19 19 18

NL10538

 12 17 11 13

NL10617

 16 15 11 14

NL10644

 12 17 16 15

NL10722

 22 23 17 21

NL10738

 9 19 12 13

NL10807

 22 20 12 18

NL10818

 30 - 13 22

NL10918

 13 15 10 13

NL10929

 27 17 11 18

NL10934

 6 - 7 6

NL10633

 - 16 13 14
Suburban Background

NL10247

 43 14 26 28

NL10938

 14 16 9 13

NL10133

 - 19 15 17
Urban Background

NL01485

 6 16 14 12

NL01494

 6 16 10 11

NL01495

 13 16 12 14

NL10138

 40 22 26 29

NL10241

 37 12 20 23

NL10404

 7 13 14 11

NL10418

 15 17 16 16

NL10442

 18 16 21 18

NL10446

 16 17 15 16

NL10643

 17 17 13 16

NL10742

 23 19 16 19

NL49003

 15 16 7 13

NL49014

 21 17 13 17
Roadside

NL01489

 6 13 13 11

NL01493

 6 12 8 9

NL10236

 12 19 17 16

NL10550

 7 15 11 11

NL10636

 4 - 13 8

NL10639

 17 15 12 15

NL10641

 4 16 8 9

NL49012

 10 - 6 8

NL10449

 - - 12 12
Industrial

NL01496

 6 16 15 12
* A hyphen is used in case of insufficient valid data to provide an annual mean
1 Number of days averaged over 3 years where the maximum daily rolling 8-h mean of ozone concentrations exceed 120 µg/m³
- Orange color indicates exceedance of > 18 times per calendar year and red of > 25 times per calendar year
Table 12: Number of days where the maximum daily rolling 8-h mean of ozone concentrations exceed 120 µg/m³ in 2018, 2019 and 2020

2.5 Carbon monoxide

Key statistics for CO in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n % max.roll.24 max.roll.8 exc_100002
Rural Background

NL10644

 236.0 199.6 832.0 1548.4 199.6 1112 12.7 986.7 1115.3 0
Urban Background

NL49014

 296.1 274.9 560.9 3697.8 274.9 8601 97.9 640.3 847.4 0
Roadside

NL10741

 309.4 276.1 705.5 1347.9 276.3 1192 13.6 728.9 774.3 0

NL49007

 412.3 384.7 770.7 1395.4 384.7 8734 99.4 881.9 1054.4 0

NL49012

 342.7 312.7 695.9 1099.4 312.7 8665 98.6 812.5 912.2 0
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the future EU limit value from 01-01-2030 (2024/2881/EC)
and red of the current EU limit value (2008/50/EC)
2 Number of days where the maximum daily 8 hour mean concentrations exceed 10000 µg/m³
- Red color indicates an exceedance of at least 1 time per calendar year
Table 13: Key concentration values for carbon monoxide in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual CO means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Urban Background 296.1 1
Roadside 377.5 2
Table 14: Summary table for carbon monoxide in 2020 (in μg/m3)

2.6 Black carbon

There currently is no limit value for black carbon as the evidence base is not yet sufficient enough to provide a basis for legally binding limit values (WHO, 2021).

Key statistics for BC in 2020
mean P50 P98 max median n % max.roll.24 max.roll.8
Rural Background

NL01437

 0.6 0.4 2.3 5.0 0.4 8760 99.7 3.6 4.6

NL10131

 0.7 0.5 2.5 7.3 0.5 8758 99.7 3.3 4.3

NL10444

 0.5 0.3 2.1 5.2 0.3 8710 99.2 3.9 3.9

NL10633

 0.5 0.4 2.2 8.4 0.4 8390 95.5 4.0 3.8

NL10644

 0.6 0.4 2.5 9.3 0.4 8695 99.0 5.2 4.4

NL10807

 0.5 0.3 1.9 8.2 0.3 8648 98.5 5.7 3.0

NL10929

 0.5 0.3 1.9 27.1 0.3 8576 97.6 10.0 19.1
Urban Background

NL01488

 0.7 0.5 2.8 9.1 0.5 8515 96.9 7.2 4.6

NL01494

 0.8 0.6 3.3 10.8 0.6 8673 98.7 6.2 6.7

NL10138

 0.6 0.4 3.0 6.9 0.4 8732 99.4 4.7 5.4

NL10247

 0.7 0.5 3.0 7.9 0.5 8737 99.5 3.6 5.6

NL10742

 0.7 0.5 2.5 12.3 0.5 8719 99.3 7.8 4.9

NL10821

 0.6 0.4 2.3 13.9 0.4 8733 99.4 13.9 6.8

NL10938

 0.4 0.3 1.7 18.4 0.3 8736 99.5 18.4 11.7

NL49003

 0.6 0.4 2.4 8.1 0.4 8768 99.8 3.4 5.0

NL49014

 0.6 0.4 2.2 5.2 0.4 8744 99.5 3.6 3.6

NL49701

 0.7 0.4 2.8 34.5 0.4 8750 99.6 21.6 15.0
Roadside

NL01487

 1.4 1.2 4.4 9.7 1.2 8750 99.6 5.7 6.5

NL01491

 0.9 0.7 3.3 11.1 0.7 8757 99.7 4.8 5.6

NL01492

 1.0 0.8 3.3 13.7 0.8 8650 98.5 5.1 6.6

NL01493

 1.4 1.1 4.9 12.3 1.1 8773 99.9 5.9 8.1

NL10237

 1.0 0.8 3.6 14.8 0.8 8767 99.8 6.3 8.8

NL10641

 0.8 0.7 2.5 8.4 0.7 8751 99.6 3.4 4.4

NL10741

 1.1 0.9 3.5 12.8 0.9 8695 99.0 5.2 5.8

NL49007

 1.0 0.8 3.1 12.0 0.8 8644 98.4 12.0 6.5

NL49012

 0.8 0.7 2.9 6.2 0.7 8653 98.5 4.2 5.0

NL49017

 0.9 0.7 2.7 6.5 0.7 8773 99.9 6.0 4.6

NL49020

 1.1 0.8 3.4 9.1 0.8 8760 99.7 5.8 6.0
Industrial

NL01496

 0.7 0.5 3.1 9.5 0.5 8580 97.7 4.5 6.7
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
Table 15: Key concentration values for black carbon in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual BC means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Rural Background 0.5 7
Urban Background 0.7 10
Roadside 1.0 11
Industrial 0.7 1
Table 16: Summary table for black carbon in 2020 (in μg/m3)

2.7 Volatile organic compounds

Key statistics for benzene in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n %
Rural Background

NL49703

 0.4 0.3 1.7 2.5 0.3 355 97.0
Urban Background

NL01485

 0.6 0.5 1.3 1.7 0.5 341 93.2

NL01494

 0.5 0.5 1.6 2.1 0.5 363 99.2

NL01495

 1.1 0.8 5.1 11.0 0.8 354 96.7

NL10643

 0.3 0.2 0.9 2.2 0.2 366 100.0
Roadside

NL49017

 0.7 0.6 1.8 3.4 0.6 340 92.9
Industrial

NL01484

 0.7 0.5 2.7 4.6 0.5 365 99.7

NL01496

 0.4 0.3 1.6 2.4 0.3 356 97.3

NL49704

 0.5 0.3 1.6 2.0 0.3 301 82.2
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the future EU limit value from 01-01-2030 (2024/2881/EC)
and red of the current EU limit value (2008/50/EC)
Table 17: Key concentration values for benzene in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual benzene means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Rural Background 0.4 1
Urban Background 0.6 4
Roadside 0.7 1
Industrial 0.6 2
Table 18: Summary table for benzene in 2020 (in μg/m3)

For toluene there is no legally binding limit value. Other VOCs are also measured by the LML, but are excluded from this report.

Key statistics for toluene in 2020
mean P50 P98 max median n %
Rural Background

NL49703

 1.0 0.6 4.8 10.0 0.6 355 97.0
Urban Background

NL01485

 1.8 1.5 4.7 6.7 1.5 341 93.2

NL01494

 2.1 1.8 6.2 10.0 1.8 363 99.2

NL01495

 2.1 1.6 6.9 11.9 1.6 354 96.7

NL10643

 0.6 0.4 2.2 4.4 0.4 366 100.0
Roadside

NL49017

 1.8 1.6 4.5 8.4 1.6 329 89.9
Industrial

NL01484

 1.7 1.2 5.1 61.3 1.2 365 99.7

NL01496

 0.7 0.5 3.5 4.8 0.5 356 97.3

NL49704

 1.5 0.9 5.3 7.3 0.9 301 82.2
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 85%
Table 19: Key concentration values for toluene in 2020 (in μg/m3)
Annual toluene means per station type in 2020
type mean n
Rural Background 1.0 1
Urban Background 1.7 4
Industrial 1.2 2
Table 20: Summary table for toluene in 2020 (in μg/m3)

2.8 Heavy metals

The measurements of lead, arsenic, cadmium and nickel as shown in the tables below are based on PM2.5 and PM10 filter sampling.

Key statistics for Pb in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n % filter_type
Rural Background

NL10627

 3.7 2.7 13.8 26.0 2.7 180 49.2 PM10

NL10644

 3.7 2.7 15.0 18.7 2.7 87 23.8 PM2.5
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 45%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the annual EU limit value
Table 21: Key concentration values for lead in 2020 (in ng/m3)
Key statistics for As in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n % filter_type
Rural Background

NL10627

 0.5 0.4 1.8 3.8 0.4 180 49.2 PM10

NL10644

 0.4 0.3 1.1 1.8 0.3 82 22.4 PM2.5
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 45%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the annual EU limit value
Table 22: Key concentration values for arsenic in 2020 (in ng/m3)
Key statistics for Cd in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n % filter_type
Rural Background

NL10627

 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.1 180 49.2 PM10

NL10644

 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.1 87 23.8 PM2.5
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 45%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the annual EU limit value
Table 23: Key concentration values for cadmium in 2020 (in ng/m3)
Key statistics for Ni in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n % filter_type
Rural Background

NL10627

 0.6 0.5 1.6 3.5 0.5 177 48.4 PM10

NL10644

 0.5 0.4 1.1 1.7 0.4 86 23.5 PM2.5
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 45%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the annual EU limit value
Table 24: Key concentration values for nickel in 2020 (in ng/m3)

The annual means in the table below are based on solely PM10 filter sampling to conform with EU standards.

Annual heavy metals means per station type in 2020
component mean n
As 0.5 1
Cd 0.1 1
Ni 0.6 1
Pb 3.7 1
Table 25: Summary table for lead, arsenic, cadmium and nickel on PM10 filters in 2020 (in ng/m3)

2.9 Benzo(a)pyrene

Benzo(a)pyrene concentrations based on PM10 filter sampling for 2020 are given in the following table.

Key statistics for benzo(a)pyrene in 2020
mean1 P50 P98 max median n %
Rural Background

NL10444

 0.03 0.01 0.13 0.13 0.01 177 48.4
Urban Background

NL10418

 0.04 0.02 0.17 0.18 0.02 180 49.2
Rows where the text is greyed out indicates a data capture < 30%
1 Orange color indicates exceedance of the annual EU limit value
Table 26: Key concentration values for benzo(a)pyrene in 2020 (in ng/m3)

3 Discussion

For all annual LML data from 1976 up to the present year, please consult the RIVM Data catalog. The monitoring data over several years including long-term trend charts can be assessed in the section on air quality on the Environmental Data Compendium website (Compendium voor de Leefomgeving). This website also provides information about the health impact of certain pollutants. The burden of disease due to air pollution can be significant, even if concentrations comply with the European limit values. Substantial improvements in public health can be achieved with further reduction of concentrations below the limit values.

4 References

Appendix A - Overview of accreditation information and limit values

The following table lists the accreditation certificate numbers for the LML for the measurements reported here and the limit values in µg/m³ for each pollutant from the three relevant guidelines. Measurements are carried out under EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation by RIVM (L224) in collaboration with its regional partners DCMR (L520) and GGD Amsterdam (L426) who are accredited according to the same ISO standard. Analysis of heavy metals is outsourced to an external analytical laboratory that is accredited according to EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 under L026.

component accreditation_numbera averaging_period EU_limit_value EU_limit_value_revised WHO_AQG
NO2 L520, L224, L426 year 40 20 10
PM10 L520, L224, L426 year 40 20 15
PM10 L520, L224, L426 day 50 max 35×b 45 max 18×b 45 max 3-4×b
PM2.5 L520, L224, L426 year 25 10 5
PM2.5 L520, L224, L426 day
25 max 18×b
O3 L520, L224, L426 max_8_h 120 max 25×b 120 max 18×b,c 100 max 3-4×b
O3 L520, L224, L426 peak_season

60
SO2 L520, L224, L426 day 125 max 3× 50 max 18× 40
SO2 L520, L224, L426 year
20b
CO L426 max_8_h 10000 10000 10000
CO L426 day
4000 max 18×b 4000 max 3-4×b
benzene L520, L426 year 5 3.4 1.7
Pb sampling L224/analysis L026 year 0.5 0.5 0.5
As sampling L224/analysis L026 year 0.006 0.006 0.066
Cd sampling L224/analysis L026 year 0.005 0.005 0.005
Ni sampling L224/analysis L026 year 0.02 0.02 0.025
benzo(a)pyrene sampling L224/analysis N/A year 0.001 0.001 0.12
a L224 is RIVM, L520 is DCMR, L426 is GGD Amsterdam, L026 is the analytical laboratory of TNO
b max n× means a maximum number of n exceedance days per calendar year
- For WHO this is also denoted as the 99th percentile, which is equivalent to 3-4 exceedance days per year
c Averaged over 3 years
Table 27: Accreditation information and limit values in μg/m3 from EU Directives 2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC (EU_limit_value),
EU Directive 2024/2881 (EU_limit_value_revised), and WHO global air quality guidelines from 2021 (WHO_AQG)