Block 8: Environmental Issues and Public Health - Air Pollution Chapter 10: Overview Of Air Pollution Legal And Regulatory Framework

Introduction

Pollutant discharges from human activities affect all three environmental media - air, water and soil, but air pollution tends to have the greatest range of impacts. In addition to impacts due to the inhalation of polluted air, the deposition of air pollutants such as particulate lead and mercury compounds and dioxins result in soil contamination, and human exposure through ingestion of contaminated soil (by children, for example) or via the food chain. Solid waste dumps such as mine dumps may be a significant source of toxic wind blown dust.

Air pollutants may have an impact tens or even thousands of kilometres from the point of discharge, across country boundaries. Persistent toxic substances (substances that persist in the environment and bio-accumulate through the food web) may have an adverse health and environmental impact at a global scale. Because of the complex ways in which air pollution may have an adverse health and environmental impact the legal and regulatory framework for managing and controlling air pollution is of necessity and multi-facetted.

The relevant South African laws and regulations are:

In addition, at least two international conventions are relevant: The Rotterdam Convention (on Prior Informed Consent) and the Stockholm Convention (on Persistent Organic Pollutants).