GLOSSARY

Land, air, water, wildlife and the man-made (built) environment and their components.

The maximum permissible concentration of a substance (e.g. pollutant, chemical, noise) in the environment or a given medium (e.g. air, water, food, workplace environment) that does not cause long-term health effects to humans. Hungarian legislation sets both short-term (hourly or daily) and long-term (annual) air pollution levels. Long-term levels are more stringent than short-term levels because long-term exposure to pollutants can cause serious health effects.

The concentration of pollutants above which the local authority is obliged to inform the public of the current air quality status. This value is lower than the alert threshold and does not necessarily justify more stringent action, but it does provide a warning that air quality is no longer ideal. The information and alert thresholds for nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone, which form the basis for the different stages and measures of the smog alert, are set out in Annex 3 to VM Decree No 4/2011 (I. 14.) on air pollution level limits and emission limit values for stationary sources of air pollution (hereinafter: VM Decree). The Mayor is authorised to order and lift the stages of the smog alert on the basis of the Smog Alert Plan. The requirements for the preparation of the smog alert plan are set out in Government Decree 306/2010 (XII. 23.) on air protection. The National Air Pollution Monitoring Network is responsible for monitoring air pollution levels and compliance with air pollution limit values in Hungary in order to assess national air pollution.

The level of pollution above which short-term exposure poses a risk to human health and at which immediate action must be taken. (In Budapest, traffic restrictions have already been imposed due to smog alerts based on the environmental class of vehicles. In Debrecen, the last time particulate matter (PM10) concentrations exceeded the health limit value in October 2019, leading to a smog alert. In such cases, the Municipality reminds the population of the ban on burning garden waste and stubble and advises residents to avoid staying outdoors, especially for people with respiratory diseases, the elderly and young children). The pollution limit value, the occupancy limit value and the emission limit value all regulate the permissible levels of pollutants at different levels. They are interrelated but approach the objective of environmental protection from different perspectives. Pollution limit value: Means the maximum permissible concentration of a pollutant in a given environmental compartment (e.g. air, water, soil) that does not yet pose a risk to human health or the ecosystem. Exposure limit value: This indicates the extent to which an environmental element can be stressed without damaging the ecological balance or the natural regenerative capacity of that element. Emission limit value: The maximum amount of pollutant emissions from a given source (e.g. plant, car, power plant) that can be allowed. The aim is that pollution does not exceed pollution or use limits.

An air pollution source for which the emission characteristics (volume flow, emission concentration, temperature, pressure) of the air pollutant can be clearly determined by measurement or technical calculation.

A measure of the accuracy of a measurement result, which indicates the extent to which the value obtained may differ from the true value. When performing tests, it is quantified separately for each component and is usually expressed as a ± value or as a percentage of the measurement result.

The lowest quantity or concentration that can still be reliably detected by a measuring instrument or measuring method. The lower limit of quantification indicates the minimum concentration that can still be accurately detected by a given test method.

The maximum quantity or concentration that a measuring instrument or measuring method can still measure accurately and reliably. If the value to be measured is higher than this, the instrument may be overloaded, give a distorted result or simply fail to detect the quantity correctly. The upper measurement limit is the limit to which the method of measurement can reliably detect the concentration of the substance.

An official permit that industrial or agricultural facilities must obtain if their activities are likely to have a significant impact on the environment. This permit ensures that the operation of the installation complies with European Union environmental standards, in particular the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive. A single environmental use permit must be obtained for installations or activities that are subject to the Environmental Impact Assessment and Single Environmental Use Permit Procedure under Government Decree 314/2005 (XII. 25.). That is, their activity, technology or the quantity and type of raw material used are regulated by the Regulation.

Accreditation is the formal recognition that an organisation or natural person is competent to carry out certain conformity assessment activities (testing, calibration, sampling, certification, verification, etc.). The operation of an accredited body is supervised by the National Accreditation Authority (NAA), which is based on uniform European principles, complies with the requirements of Government Decree 424/2015 (XII. 23.) on the accreditation procedure, Government Decision 1956/2015 (XII. 23.) on the Accreditation Council and maintains a laboratory structured according to the MSZ EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard for bodies to be accredited. This ensures that their measurement results are reliable, accurate and internationally accepted. Test reports issued by such organisations are accepted by the authorities and courts. Organisations with accredited status are available on the NAH website (https://www.nah.gov.hu/hu).

Checking the credibility, adequacy and validity of data and measurement results. Ensures that data conform to measurement standards and specifications, ensures that measurements are comparable and valid.

A validated, verified and approved measurement result that has been subjected to a defined process of checking its correctness and conformity to the relevant specifications, expectations and standards.

A predefined benchmark used for comparison in a measurement process. A reference point helps to interpret data, check their reliability and make measurements comparable.

A measuring instrument is certified when it has been verified by an official, legally recognised organisation to be accurate, reliable and to meet the specified measurement requirements. During the verification process, the measuring instrument is tested against a reference instrument or standard and, if it passes, it is issued a certificate of verification. A verified measuring instrument is proven to be accurate and to meet specifications and is therefore legally and professionally acceptable for use.

Measuring instrument that has not been formally tested and certified by the appropriate authorities or accredited bodies. If a non-certified instrument is used, there is no guarantee that its measurements are accurate or conform to standards. The use of non-certified instruments may lead to legal or regulatory problems, as the measurement results may not be valid or acceptable, and may be susceptible to deception.

VGT3 is Hungary's third River Basin Management Plan. This plan is based on the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and aims to achieve and maintain good surface water and groundwater status. The WFD3 sets out the quantitative, qualitative and ecological status of water bodies and the measures necessary to achieve good status. In developing VGT3, an assessment of the status of water bodies has been carried out, taking into account hydromorphological characteristics, the presence of specific pollutants and the chemical status of water bodies. A supplemented status assessment methodology was used in the design, which allowed for a more accurate determination of the status of the water bodies and comparison with the results of previous plans.