[Recent information on air pollution impact in North-Rhine-Westphalia (author's transl)]

Since 1963, air quality in the Rhine-Ruhr-area, one of the largest agglomerations of industry, population, and traffic in Europe, is systematically monitored and the levels are documented in the form of on air pollution cataster. The surveilled area comprises about 5000 km2. Within the first years, measurements were made with the air pollutants sulphur dioxide and dust fall out. Later, the following air pollutants were included into the monitoring program: Hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, suspended particles, as well as the determination of total organic substances. In smaller regions within the surveilled area, measurements of the following air polutants were made, too: Nitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, carbon disulphide, benzene, phenol, carbon monixide, oxidants, as well as determinations of lead, cadmium, and zinc content in suspended particles and dust fall out. Besides the demonstration of the tasks within the air quality monitoring program, the projection as well as the execution of air pollution measurements are discussed. Definitions of impact characteristics and the adjusted legal air quality standards are given in more detail. Finally, an evaluation of the results of this monitoring program is given for each pollutant. Furthermore, the trends of air pollution and its causes since the beginning of air quality monitoring in 1963 are evaluated.