Fresh air problems for Europe’s cities
A new report by the European Environment Agency finds that cities in the EU failed to meet air-quality limits in 2000.
Air pollution rose above recommended levels in all 20 European cities sampled for a European Environment Agency survey in 2000. The survey, published in March, included Antwerp, Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Lisbon. It found that air-quality limit values were frequently exceeded, especially in streets and other urban hotspots.
The report, Air Pollution at Street Level in European Cities [1MB PDF], concludes that traffic-related air pollution is still one of the most pressing problems in urban areas. Most of the traffic-related emissions were in the fine particulates range (below the PM2.5 scale, i.e., less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter). The authors state that humans are exposed to increased pollutant concentrations in densely populated urban areas and that improving air quality is therefore “imperative”.
EU lawmakers are currently considering new rules that would limit emissions of particulate matter by diesel cars to 5 milligrams per kilometer.
