2008: BRUSSELS LOOKED INTO THE AIR POLLUTION IN MADRID

According to the EEA (European Environment Agency), European legislation on air quality has been progressively adapted into Spanish law. 

Analysis of the 2008 assessment based on data obtained from the main regional air pollution-monitoring networks showed that:

• NO2 (137 air quality zones): 126 zones recorded values below the annual limit value and 133 recorded values below the hourly limit value.
• PM10 (138 air quality zones): 131 zones recorded values below the annual limit value and 95 recorded values below the daily limit value.
• O3 (136 air quality zones): 24 zones recorded values below the long-term target value for the protection of human health and 29 zones recorded values below the target value for the protection of vegetation.

It is worth emphasising the following:

• Areas affected by SO2 have decreased over the years and problems now only persist in specific zones.
• Although the limit and target values for NO2, PM10 and tropospheric ozone are still exceeded, this only occurs with NO2 in Spain's big metropolitan centres. Moreover, in 2008, levels of PM10 concentration fell.
• Significant advances have been made in modelling to ensure that zones are not left unassessed.

Source: El País

The problem of the air pollution in Madrid:

"The Commission (on behalf of the European Parliament) is conscious of the bad quality of the air in Madrid and has already asked for additional information about the adopted measures", assured in a writing the commissioner of Environment, Dimas Stavros in April, 2008.

For Stavros, the levels reached in Madrid were "considerably superior to the established ones in the community board that fixes the level of pollution for 2010", but admits that they don't exceed the current limit. "Although it was on the verge of doing it in several occasions in 2006 and 2007 ", he said.

The problem of the pollution in Madrid is not a minor topic. By the end of 2008, the Recoletos station of measurement had exceeded in 18 occasions the limit of 220 micrograms of dioxide of nitrogen for cubic meter.

Source: "El País"

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