Operation & Management of Toxic Organic Micro Pollutants (TOMPs) Network (21-26)

The Toxic Organic Micro Pollutants (TOMPs) Network is responsible for contributing to the monitoring of UK air quality by providing measurement of the air concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) at rural and urban locations in the UK. Monitoring work complements emission inventory work, whilst also providing information on the sources of POP releases into the environment.

Monitoring data is used to inform negotiation of international instruments to control POPs, such as consideration of restrictions on POPs already covered by the UNECE Protocol on POPs and Stockholm Convention on POPs, as well as the consideration of new candidate POPs for inclusion. This work complements Defra’s Air Quality Strategy which aims to improve air quality and reduce human exposure to all air pollutants including POPs.

The purpose of the Toxic Organic Micro Pollutants (TOMPs) Network is to provide information on the ambient levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the UK through monitoring at six sites, to inform policy development on environmental and human exposure to POPs, and to provide information on the sources of POPs in the atmosphere. The TOMPs network is the second longest running network of its type anywhere in the World. It is essential, therefore, that continuity of operation is maintained in order to preserve data consistency.