Umweltgrenzwert

Umweltgrenzwert is a legally defined maximum level for a pollutant or environmental stressor within an environmental medium, such as air, water, soil, or noise. It represents the threshold that may not be exceeded to protect human health and ecosystems. The term is used in various regulatory contexts to express the concentration, mass, or intensity of a pollutant, often with a specified time averaging period (for example hourly, daily, or annual means).

Establishment and scope are determined by authorities at national, regional, or international levels. Umweltgrenzwerte may be laid down in environmental laws, ordinances, or regulatory guidelines and are often derived from scientific risk assessments, international agreements, and European directives. They are commonly expressed in units appropriate to the medium, such as micrograms per cubic meter for air or milligrams per liter for water, with explicit measurement methods and monitoring requirements.

Compliance and enforcement involve monitoring programs conducted by environmental authorities, reporting obligations, and procedures to address exceedances. If a value is surpassed, authorities may require investigations, corrective actions, emissions reductions, remediation, or penalties, depending on the regulatory framework and the severity of the exceedance.

Relation to other terms can vary by jurisdiction. Umweltgrenzwert is related to Grenzwerte (limit values) but emphasizes the environmental concentration rather than the emissions from a source. It is related to immission-related concepts (immissiongrenzwerte) and may be complemented by emission-based limits in regulation. The exact definitions and scope can differ across countries and regulatory domains.