Published 21 Sep 2021 Last modified 21 Sep 2021
Note: This Air quality status 2021 briefing is one of a series to be published by the EEA that will become the chapters of the Air quality in Europe 2021 report.
The assessment of air quality against guidelines established by the World Health Organization is made against the concentration levels set out in the Air Quality Guidelines – 2005 Global Update.
KEY MESSAGES
- Despite improvements, air pollution is still a major health concern for Europeans. Where you live, has an impact on the risks to which you are exposed
- People in bigger cities tend to be exposed to higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide because of emissions from traffic
- In central and eastern Europe, the burning of solid fuels for domestic heating and their use in industry results in the highest concentrations of particulate matter and benzo[a]pyrene (a carcinogen)
- People in southern Europe are exposed to the highest concentrations of ozone, the formation of which is driven by sunlight
- An apparent improvement in air quality in 2020 is likely explained by weather patterns and the impact of lockdown measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) has established air quality guidelines (AQG), or recommendations for maximum concentrations to protect human health from the impacts of air pollutants. These values are based on scientific evidence. The EU´s Ambient Air Quality Directives set maximum values (limit and target) for the concentration levels for a total of 13 air pollutants. Although these values are based on the WHO AQG, they also take into account the technical and economic feasibility of their attainment across EU Member States. For most air pollutants, the EU air quality standards are less strict than the WHO AQG.
Figure 1. Share of the EU urban population exposed to air pollutant concentrations above EU standards and WHO guidelines in 2018-2019
Source: CSI004
When the maximum EU limit or target values are exceeded, the relevant authorities (such as a city council) must implement air quality plans and measures to reduce levels of air pollutants as quickly as possible. Air quality plans and measures may also be implemented in cases where air quality is good, either to maintain healthy levels or to improve them.
This analysis highlights those pollutants deemed to be most harmful to human health and the environment or that exceed the maximum EU air quality standards and WHO guideline levels most frequently. The data were extracted from the EEA’s reporting system on 27 April 2021.
The analysis of 2019 validated data includes maps and boxplots, while the analysis of provisional 2020 up-to-date (UTD) data includes only maps. 2020 validated data will be available later this year and presented in the 2022 air quality report.
The lists of countries that submitted data for 2019 and for 2020, additional information and further analysis can be found in the Eionet status reports ETC/ATNI 2021/7 and ETC/ATNI 2021/8, prepared by the European Topic Centre on Air Pollution, Transport, Noise and Industrial Pollution.
Navigate the tabs for information on each pollutant:
PM10 are particulate matter with a diameter of 10 µm or less. They are emitted mainly by the combustion of fuels for domestic heating, while industrial activities, agriculture and road transport are also important sources. Some come also from natural sources such as sea salt or Saharan dust and, finally, some are formed in the atmosphere from the combination of different gases.
Although exceedances of the EU daily limit value are widespread across the continent, the highest concentrations were found in some countries in central and eastern Europe and in northern Italy. In most countries of central and eastern Europe, solid fuels such as coal are widely used for heating households and in some industrial facilities and power plants. The Po Valley, in northern Italy, is a densely populated and industrialised area with specific meteorological conditions that favour the accumulation of air pollutants in the atmosphere.
Concentrations of PM10 in 2019:
- 21 reporting countries, of which 16 were EU Member States, registered concentrations above the EU daily limit value
- 11 reporting countries, of which 7 were EU Member States, registered concentrations above the EU annual limit value of 40 µg/m3
- 31 reporting countries registered concentrations above the stricter WHO guideline, the exceptions being Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg and Switzerland
Figure 3: Percentage of reporting stations registering PM10 concentrations above the EU daily limit value and the WHO long-term guideline in 2019 and 2020
Concentrations above the EU daily limit value were measured at 14 % of reporting stations, 87 % of which were urban and 10 % suburban.
- 10 reporting countries, of which 8 were EU Member States, reported concentrations above the daily limit value
- 4 reporting countries, of which 2 were EU Member States, reported concentrations above the annual limit value
- 21 reporting countries reported concentrations above the WHO AQG
The apparent improvement in the situation in 2020, with lower concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and NO2, is partly due to the lockdown measures implemented during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures resulted in a reduction of many activities (such as road transport, aviation, shipping, some industries), while some others remained more or less unchanged (such as agriculture) or might have increased such as household energy consumption.
Where do the data come from?
The concentrations are obtained from measurements in monitoring stations that are officially reported to the EEA by its member countries. The classification of the monitoring stations and the criteria used to determine their inclusion in the analyses are described here. The countries that submitted data are summarised in Table 1 for 2019, and Table 2 for 2020.
The analysis for 2019 is based on validated data that are verified by the countries. The analysis for 2020 is based on provisional data reported in near-real time throughout the year. The analysis for 2020 is, therefore, provisional, and may change once the set of fully validated data is received by the EEA and more countries are considered.
Further information on the concentrations of air pollutants, including those for previous years, can be found at the EEA’s statistics viewer. The data can also be downloaded here.
Note: The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union did not affect the production of this assessment. Data for the United Kingdom appear here in agreement with the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, which entered into force on 1 February 2020. Data reported by the United Kingdom are included in all analyses and assessments contained herein, unless otherwise indicated.