1,3-butadiene (C4H6) is a volatile organic compound (VOC) which is present in vehicle emissions (the dominant source) and cigarette smoke. It is used by the chemical industry, particularly in the manufacture of synthetic rubber.
Environmental levels of butadiene are now about 70% lower than they were prior to the introduction catalytic converters in 1991. Visit the NAEI website for information on the national emissions of 1,3-butadiene. You can discover more about industrial emissions on the Environment Agency's pollution inventory..
As a VOC, 1,3-butadiene plays a role in the photochemical formation of ground-level ozone. But the main concern, and the reason that a National Air Quality Objective has been set, is that butadiene is known to be carcinogenic. Although there is no known safe level of 1,3-butadiene, the objective has been set at a level at which there is an exceedingly small health risk.
For more detailed information about VOCs visit the Enviropedia website.
The council carried out 1,3-butadiene monitoring between 2000 and 2004. As can be seen from the graph below levels within the borough are well below the National Air Quality Objective.
Annual Averages
