Comparison between measured and calculated benzene air concentrations in urban streets in Amsterdam

摘要

The results of benzene monitoring in the ambient air of urban streets in downtown Amsterdam showed that violations of the 20 μg/m~3 ambient-air quality standard virtually do not occur, unlike the outcome of standardized calculations with the aid of the CAR model made earlier by the National Environmental Health Institute (RIVM). Although Amsterdam is definitely not representative for The Netherlands as a whole, it can nevertheless be expected that for benzene the previously calculated exceedance of the ambient-air quality standard over a total street length of 130 km of the Dutch road system will most likely appear to be untenable. The presumed overestimation of the indicated street length for all of The Netherlands is due for the most part to the input into the CAR model of unrealistically high background benzene levels.