Air quality measurement results in Roosendaal known

Research by the Province of North Brabant shows that both traffic on the A58 national highway and activities from the direction of the Korps Commandotroepen barracks contribute to the levels of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide in the residential area of Roosendaal. This does not apply to the industrial areas Majoppeveld and Borchwerf. However, the values measured by a mobile air monitoring station remain within the legal EU limit values. There is also no evidence of benzene from environmental sources. The advisory values set by the World Health Organization (WHO) are exceeded for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), but for fine particulate matter (PM10), the measured values also remain below the WHO advisory values.

One of the two provincial mobile monitoring stations was located in Roosendaal from January to December 2025. It measured the presence of pollutants fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and benzene in the living environment.

Housing construction and tackling air quality

The Municipality of Roosendaal wants to build homes, some of which will be located near the A58 national highway. The municipality also needs more insight into what it can do itself to influence air quality in the municipality. For this reason, the Municipality of Roosendaal submitted an application to the province for the placement of a mobile air monitoring station. The province granted this request.

New European air quality directive by 2030

In October 2024, the European Council adopted the new European air quality directive. The stricter requirements for fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and benzene represent a balance between the health effects of these pollutants and the economic and technical feasibility of no longer emitting them. The annual limit values for the pollutants fine particulate matter (PM2.5) will be reduced from 25 µg/m³ to 10 µg/m³. Those for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) will be lowered from 40 µg/m³ to 20 µg/m³. The tightened standards must be met by all EU member states by 2030.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has established advisory values for air quality. These advisory values are based solely on health effects.

Measurement results in Roosendaal

The values measured by a mobile air monitoring station over the course of a year in the residential area of Roosendaal remain within both the current and the tightened EU limit values that will apply from 2030. Both traffic on the A58 national highway and activities from the direction of the Korps Commandotroepen barracks do contribute significantly to fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The nature and scale of the activities that release fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide have not become clear during this study. No significant contribution of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide was established from the direction of the industrial areas Majoppeveld and Borchwerf.

There is no evidence of benzene from environmental sources. The daily average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was higher than the future daily average EU limit value (the limit is set at 18 days) on 21 days. As a result, the daily average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Roosendaal is higher than the limit values that will come into effect in 2030. The WHO advisory values are exceeded for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), but for fine particulate matter (PM10), the measured values not only remain below the EU legal limit values but also below the advisory values of the World Health Organization. There are no WHO advisory values for benzene.

Councillor Klaar Koenraad: “At the end of 2023, the Municipality of Roosendaal joined the Clean Air Agreement. In the past period, we have also taken various steps to improve air quality in our municipality. The measurements from the mobile air monitoring station form a baseline for us, with which we can actively adjust our policies. We are at least pleased to hear that our industrial areas do not actively contribute to the amount of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. It is not surprising to us that this is the case around the A58. We will tackle this issue and look at how we can reduce it in the coming years.”

Clean Air Agreement

Hagar Roijackers, Deputy for Nature, Environment, and the Brabant Rural Area Programme: “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 identify any bottlenecks and their causes. This will also highlight possible solutions. Just like the Municipality of Roosendaal, we as a province are also part of the Clean Air Agreement.

The goal of the Clean Air Agreement is to permanently improve air quality in the Netherlands through joint efforts. All participating parties take measures to limit air pollution from domestic sources. We want to meet at least the legal standards for all environmental aspects, but in the meantime aim for continuous improvement: a Brabant with an ever-cleaner, healthier, and safer environment.”

Air monitoring stations in Brabant

To implement the two motions ‘Healthy Air’ and ‘More Monitoring Points’ from the Provincial Council, the Deputies of the Province of North Brabant purchased two mobile air monitoring stations in 2021 in addition to fixed monitoring stations (Moerdijk, Klundert, Zevenbergen, and Ossendrecht). These stations will measure air quality in various locations in Brabant over a period of 5 years. This was done at the request of municipalities, citizens, or citizen initiatives. The fixed stations show a positive, downward trend.

• See also the website of the National Air Quality Monitoring Network (LML) (links to another website)

Do you have a question?

Submit your question via the form or call the province's general number.

• Go to the form (links to another website)
• 073-6812812