ETC HE Report 2024/3: Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2022, using validated data

This report presents summarised information on the status of air quality in Europe in 2022, based on validated air quality monitoring data officially reported by the member and cooperating countries of the EEA. It aims at informing on the status of ambient air quality in Europe in 2022 and on the progress towards meeting the European air quality standards for the protection of health in the Ambient Air Quality Directives and the new World Health Organization air quality guidelines. The report also compares the air quality status in 2022 with the previous three years.

30 May 2024

Jaume Targa (4sfera Innova), María Colina (4sfera Innova), Lorena Banyuls (4sfera Innova), Alberto González Ortiz (EEA), Joana Soares (NILU)

This report presents summarised information on the status of air quality in Europe in 2022, based on validated air quality monitoring data officially reported by the member and cooperating countries of the EEA. It aims at informing on the status of ambient air quality in Europe in 2022 and on the progress towards meeting the European air quality standards for the protection of health, as well as the WHO air quality guidelines. The report also compares the air quality status in 2022 with the previous years. The pollutants covered in this report are particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), tropospheric ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), benzene (C6H6) and toxic metals (As, Cd, Ni, Pb). Measured concentrations above the European air quality standards for PM10, PM2.5, O3, and NO2 were reported by 23, 6, 22, and 10 reporting countries for 2022, respectively. Exceedances of the air quality standards for BaP, SO2, CO, and benzene were measured in, respectively, 12, 4, 1, and 0 reporting countries in 2021. Exceedances of European standards for toxic metals were reported by 6 stations for As, 1 for Cd, 0 for Pb and 6 for Ni.