ANNEX VI

A. Reference methods for the assessment of concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2,5), benzene, carbon monoxide, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ozone and other pollutants in ambient air and deposition rates Reference method for the measurement of sulphur dioxide in ambient air The reference method for the measurement of sulphur dioxide in ambient air is that described in EN 14212:2012 ‘Ambient air – Standard method for the measurement of the concentration of sulphur dioxide by ultraviolet fluorescence’. Reference method for the measurement of nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen in ambient air The reference method for the measurement of nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen in ambient air is that described in EN 14211:2012 ‘Ambient air – Standard method for the measurement of the concentration of nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide by chemiluminescence’. Reference method for the sampling and measurement of PM10 in ambient air The reference method for the sampling and measurement of PM10 in ambient air is that described in EN 12341:2023 ‘Ambient Air – Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter’. Reference method for the sampling and measurement of PM2,5 in ambient air The reference method for the sampling and measurement of PM2,5 in ambient air is that described in EN 12341:2023 ‘Ambient Air – Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter’. Reference method for the sampling and measurement of arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel in ambient air The reference method for the sampling of arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel in ambient air is that described in EN 12341:2023 ‘Ambient Air – Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter’. The reference method for the measurement of arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel in ambient air is that described in EN 14902:2005 ‘Ambient air quality – Standard method for measurement of Pb, Cd, As and Ni in the PM10 fraction of suspended particulate matter’. Reference method for the sampling and measurement of benzene in ambient air The reference method for the sampling and measurement of benzene in ambient air is that described in EN 14662, parts 1 (2005), 2 (2005) and 3 (2016) ‘Ambient air quality – Standard method for measurement of benzene concentrations’. Reference method for the measurement of carbon monoxide in ambient air The reference method for the measurement of carbon monoxide in ambient air is that described in EN 14626:2012 ‘Ambient air – Standard method for the measurement of the concentration of carbon monoxide by non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy’. Reference method for the sampling and measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air The reference method for the sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air is that described in EN 12341:2023 ‘Ambient Air – Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter’. The reference method for the measurement of benzo(a)pyrene in ambient air is that described in EN 15549:2008 ‘Air quality – Standard method for the measurement of concentration of benzo[a]pyrene in ambient air’. In the absence of an EN standard method for the other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons referred to in Article 9(8), Member States are allowed to use national standard methods or ISO methods such as ISO standard 12884. Reference method for the sampling and measurement of total gaseous mercury in ambient air The reference method for the measurement of total gaseous mercury concentrations in ambient air is that described in EN 15852:2010 ‘Ambient air quality – Standard method for the determination of total gaseous mercury’. Reference method for the sampling and analysis of the deposition of arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons The reference method for the determination of the deposition of arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel is that described in EN 15841:2009 ‘Ambient air quality – Standard method for determination of arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel in atmospheric deposition’. The reference method for the determination of the deposition of mercury is that described in EN 15853:2010 ‘Ambient air quality – Standard method for determination of mercury deposition’. The reference method for the determination of the deposition of benzo(a)pyrene and the other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons referred to in Article 9(8) is that described in EN 15980:2011 ‘Air quality – Determination of the deposition of benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[j]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene’. Reference method for the measurement of ozone in ambient air The reference method for the measurement of ozone in ambient air is that described in EN 14625:2012 ‘Ambient air – Standard method for the measurement of the concentration of ozone by ultraviolet photometry’. Reference method for the sampling and measurement of elemental carbon and organic carbon in ambient air The reference method for the sampling of elemental carbon and organic carbon in ambient air is that described in EN 12341:2023 ‘Ambient Air – Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter’. The reference method for the measurement of elemental carbon and organic carbon in ambient air is that described in EN 16909:2017 ‘Ambient air – Measurement of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) collected on filters’. Reference method for the sampling and measurement of NO3 -, SO4 2-, Cl-, NH4 +, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ in PM2,5 in ambient air The reference method for the sampling of NO3 -, SO4 2-, Cl-, NH4 +, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ in PM2,5 in ambient air is that described in EN 12341:2023 ‘Ambient Air – Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter’. The reference method for the measurement of NO3 -, SO4 2-, Cl-, NH4 +, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ in PM2,5 in ambient air is that described in EN 16913:2017 ‘Ambient air – Standard method for measurement of NO3 -, SO4 2-, Cl-, NH4 +, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ in PM2,5 as deposited on filters’. Methods for the sampling and measurement of volatile organic compounds that are ozone precursor substances, methane, UFP, BC, size distribution of ultrafine particles, ammonia, particulate and gaseous divalent mercury, nitric acid, levoglucosan and oxidative potential of particulate matter In the absence of an EN standard method for sampling and measuring volatile organic compounds that are ozone precursor substances, methane, UFP, BC, size distribution of ultrafine particles, ammonia, particulate and gaseous divalent mercury, nitric acid, levoglucosan and oxidative potential of particulate matter, Member States may choose the sampling and measuring methods they use, in accordance with Annex V and taking into account the measurement objectives, including those set out in Section 3, Point A, and Section 4, Point A, of Annex VII, as applicable. Where international, EN or national standard reference measurement methods or CEN technical specifications are available, these may be used. | 1. | A Member State may use any other method which it can demonstrate gives results equivalent to any of the reference methods referred to in Point A of this Annex or, in the case of particulate matter, any other method which the Member State concerned can demonstrate displays a consistent relationship to the reference method, such as an automatic measurement method that meets the requirements in standard EN 16450:2017 ‘Ambient air – Automated measuring systems for the measurement of the concentration of particulate matter (PM10; PM2,5)’. In that event, the results achieved by such other method shall be corrected to produce results equivalent to those that would have been achieved by using the reference method. | 2. | The Commission may require Member States to prepare and submit a report on the demonstration of equivalence in accordance with point 1. | 3. | When assessing the acceptability of the report referred to in point 2, the Commission shall refer to its guidance on the demonstration of equivalence. Where Member States have been using interim factors to approximate equivalence, approximate equivalence shall be confirmed or amended with reference to that guidance. | 4. | Member States shall ensure that whenever appropriate, the correction is also applied retroactively to past measurement data in order to achieve better data comparability. For gaseous pollutants, the volume shall be standardised at a temperature of 293 K and an atmospheric pressure of 101,3 kPa. For particulate matter and substances to be analysed in particulate matter (including arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel and benzo(a)pyrene), the sampling volume refers to ambient conditions in terms of temperature and atmospheric pressure at the date of measurements. When demonstrating that equipment meets the performance requirements of the reference methods listed in Point A of this Annex, the competent authorities and bodies designated pursuant to Article 5 shall accept test reports issued in other Member States provided that the test laboratories are accredited by the relevant harmonised standard for testing and calibration laboratories. The detailed test reports and all the results of the tests shall be available to other competent authorities or their designated bodies. Test reports shall demonstrate that the equipment meets all the performance requirements, including where some environmental and site conditions are specific to a Member State and are outside the conditions for which the equipment has been already tested and type approved in another Member State. In the absence of an EN standard on modelling quality objectives, Member States may choose the modelling applications they use, in accordance with Point F of Annex V.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-16 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.