The city of Athens ranks 269 out of 375 cities in Europe for its air quality, which is considered as ‘moderate’ by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Using data from 2021-2022, the ranking of cities in Europe is based upon concentrations of particle matter (PM) found in the atmosphere.
Specifically, the EEA measures concentrations of PM2.5, which are fine inhalable particles of matter that can travel deep into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs and entering the bloodstream.
Fine particulate matter PM2.5 is the pollutant that causes the largest health impact globally, contributing to millions of deaths each year and around 300,000 deaths in Europe annually, says the EEA.
The EEA notes that efforts to reduce the concentrations of PMs in Europe’s air have led to improved air quality over the past thirty years, but work still needs to be done.
City Rankings by the EEA
The rankings are available through the EEA’s European City Air Viewer Service and categorize cities PM2.5 levels as follows:
- Good for levels of fine particulate matter that do not exceed the annual guideline value of the World Health Organization of 5 μg/m3,
- Fair for levels above 5 and not exceeding 10 μg/m3
- Moderate for levels above 10 and not exceeding 15 μg/m3;
- Poor for levels above 15 and not exceeding 25 μg/m3; and
- Very poor for levels at and above the European Union limit value of 25 μg/m3
Athens’ annual mean PM2.5 levels between 2021-2022 were ‘moderate’, coming in at 13.6ug/m3.
The best air quality was recorded in Faro, Portugal, where PM2.5 was just 3.7ug/m3 in a city of 61,015 persons and the worst air quality was recorded in Slavonski Brod, Croation, where annual mean PM2.5 levels were an alarming 28 ug/m3 in a city of just 52,836 persons.
Air Quality in Greece
A recent report on global air quality by Swiss technology company IQAir reveals that Greece is ranked 50th globally in terms of air quality.
Meanwhile, the European City air quality viewer, which considers eleven locations in Greece, shows that overall air quality in 2022 fell in the moderate range, but that it was very poor in Ioannina and fair in Panorama, Thessaloniki.
European and Global Air Quality Guidelines
In 2021, the World Health Organization updated its health-based guidelines for air quality, recommending a maximum level of 5 μg/m3 for fine particulate matter for long-term exposure in order to protect health.
In 2008, the European Union (EU) set an annual limit value for fine particulate matter of 25 μg/m3.
The revised Ambient Air quality Directive 2008/50/EC set new standards that are more stringent than in the previous text and more adapted to the human health and environment protection levels. The new levels should be attained by the 1 January 2030.
The new regulations provide basic principles of the relevant scientific framework needed for the implementation of monitoring tools that provide accurate, reliable, and comparable information about air quality in the Member States.
To assist in transparency and monitoring, the EEA provides a range of open-source tools for the public so citizens can track the progress of their country in attaining the new standards, as well as observe where data is being collected and processed.
