Further investigation into air quality in Gilze started

The aim of the completed research was to gain insight into the air quality in Gilze, south of the A58 highway and Gilze-Rijen air base.

Effects A58 and air base

The municipality of Gilze-Rijen submitted the measurement request to the province. Despite the fact that the results of the measurement in Gilze were only published in April 2024, it was already clear that influences from the north were insufficiently measured in this measurement and further research is needed. In the Netherlands, the wind more often comes from a south-westerly direction. The possible effects of the A58 highway and air base have therefore not been sufficiently mapped out during the measurement period in Gilze. The wind hardly blew from the north during the measurement period. The municipality has therefore submitted an additional measurement request to the province for Hulten: a small village center north of Gilze, the A58 highway and the air base.

Clean Air Agreement

Hagar Roijackers, deputy for Nature, Environment and Brabant Rural Area Program: ‘We want Brabant to be a pleasant, safe and healthy province. That is why it is important to be able to measure objectively and to look carefully at where any bottlenecks are and what their causes are. Then possible solutions also come into view. As a province, we are also affiliated with the Clean Air Agreement. The aim of the Clean Air Agreement is to jointly permanently improve air quality in the Netherlands. As participating parties, we are taking measures to limit air pollution from domestic sources.’

Nitrogen dioxide in the living environment

The first measurement results To determine the influence of the environment on air quality, wind rose analyzes were carried out. Gilze’s compass rose analysis shows that the total contribution of nitrogen dioxide from the A58 highway and the air base makes a small contribution to the concentration of nitrogen dioxide present in the living environment. Whether the Gilze-Rijen air base contributes to the nitrogen dioxide concentration in the Gilze residential area cannot be determined based on the wind rose analysis. If there was a contribution from the air base, it would have been included in the contribution from sources from the north, including the A58 highway.

Nitrogen dioxide-emitting sources also appear to make little contribution to the presence of nitrogen dioxide in the living environment from the Broekhoven industrial estate.
During the measurement period it became apparent that the concentration of particulate matter from the A58 highway, the airport and the industrial area hardly contribute to the prevailing background concentration. This means that the national highway and industry cannot be directly identified as responsible sources and are not the most important factors for the determined average particulate matter concentration in the residential area of ​​Gilze.

Benzene

In Gilze, no clear contribution from the environment has been measured for benzene. According to the first measurements, the measured values ​​for particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and benzene in Gilze comply with the applicable EU limit values ​​as included in the Environmental Management Act. With the exception of particulate matter (PM10), the measured values ​​in Gilze are higher than the stricter WHO advisory values. There is no WHO recommended value for benzene. However, the recommended values ​​have no legal status.

Measuring stations Brabant

To implement the 2 motions ‘Healthy Air’ and ‘More Measuring Points’ from the Provincial Council, the Provincial Executive of the province of North Brabant will have two semi-mobile air measuring stations in addition to fixed measuring stations (Moerdijk, Klundert, Zevenbergen and Ossendrecht) in 2021. purchased. These stations measure air quality at various locations in Brabant for 5 years. This is at the request of municipalities, citizens or citizen initiatives.

More insight

The research results in Gilze have been compared with the measurement results of the permanent measuring stations in North Brabant of the National Air Quality Monitoring Network (LML). In general, it can be said that the air quality in the living environment of Gilze, around the research location, is not much better or worse than the air quality in comparable environments in Brabant. But further research is needed.

Councilor Corné Machielsen: ‘We believe that insight into air quality is important. The measurements at Gilze provide an initial insight. We need more insight into the influence of the A58 and the air base on our air quality. That is why it is good that measurements are now being taken at Hulten.’

If the concentration profile of the measurements deviates significantly from the concentration profile of the various measuring stations, this may indicate the presence of local sources that strongly influence air quality. See also the website of the National Air Quality Monitoring Network (LML).