Outdoor air pollution is a major environmental health risk affecting everyone in low-, middle- and high-income countries.
It is estimated World Health OrganizationAir pollution in urban and rural areas worldwide causes 4.2 million premature deaths each year.
Exposure to air pollution is linked to many health problemsThese range from respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, to cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and neurological complications.
therefore, RichA company dedicated to energy supply has prepared a study in which Air quality in Spanish cities analyzed Follows World Health Organization standards, which state that unhealthy air is air where high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) can be detected.
Research shows that Alicante is the Spanish city with the best air quality, with an annual average microgram concentration per cubic meter (μg/m3) of 4.5, within the air quality guideline of 0-5 μg/m³ set by the World Health Organization (WHO) .
World Health Organization parameters indicate that unhealthy air contains high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). In large urban agglomerations, road traffic is the main source of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions, while in rural areas, pollution emissions are more uneven.
However, Malaga It was rated the fourth city in Spain with the cleanest air qualityAccording to the report, the score was 10.6. This is not the first time they have used “very good quality” to describe the capital’s air. The latest data published on the Ministry of Ecological Transformation’s network also showed that air quality was “good”.
Levels below 30, 0 to 50 are better; medium 51 to 100; harmful to health for sensitive groups 101 to 150; harmful to health from 151 to 200; 201 to 300 very harmful to health, more than 300 dangerous.
Alicante is followed by Madrid, which scores a surprising 9.5 considering how polluted the city is. Following the capital is Vigo with a score of 9.6. On the other hand, the cities with the worst air quality are Córdoba and Barcelona, both with a PM2.5 value of 13, especially Murcia, which has the worst PM2.5 value at 15.2. Much higher than World Health Organization guidelines.
Other cities had very high values of ultrafine PM2.5 particles and therefore poor air quality, with Granada scoring 12.9 and Zaragoza scoring 11.7.
Malaga to develop air improvement plan
Malaga and the Costa del Sol will develop air quality plans because they have exceeded permitted values, based on data from measuring stations of the Andalusian Air Quality Monitoring and Control Network, which covers the entire Andalusian territory.
Its goal is to prevent and eliminate atmospheric pollution in the region, coordinate the necessary measures between competent authorities and relevant economic entities, and protect the environment from the adverse effects of human activities.