European Air Quality Index launched

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A new European Air Quality Index, launched by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission, allows users to check the current air quality across Europe’s cities and regions.

The EEA and the European Commission’s new online service, the European Air Quality Index, provides information on the current air quality situation based on measurements from more than 2 000 air quality monitoring stations across Europe.

The Index consists of an interactive map that shows the local air quality situation at station level, based on five key pollutants that harm people’s health and the environment: particulate matter (PM2,5 and PM10), ground-level ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2).

Users can zoom in or search for any town or region in Europe to check the overall air quality and measurements per key pollutant. The Index shows an overall rating for each monitoring station, marked by a coloured dot on the map, corresponding to the worst rating for any of the five pollutants.

The new European Air Quality Index gives citizens an easy way to access information on their local air quality, which can have a direct impact on their health. European Union legislation sets air quality standards for both the short-term (hourly/daily) and long-term (annual). The European Air Quality Index indicates the short-term air quality situation at each of the more than 2 000 monitoring stations across Europe. The Index therefore does not reflect the long-term (annual) air quality situation, which may differ significantly.

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