Population exposure to air pollution PM2.5

Dátum poslednej aktualizácie:22.12.2022

Definícia indikátora

Pollution exposure (exposure) means the estimate of the average number of persons present in the monitored area at the time of exceeding the limit value for the pollutant, in this case for the PM2.5 airborne dust fractions.

Jednotka indikátora

%, ug/m3

Kľúčové zistenia

The average annual exposure to PM2.5 in the Slovak Republic in 2019 was at the level of 18.5 ug/m3, while its development has been approximately slightly declining since 2000, stagnating to slightly increasing in recent years. It is the average annual value of the concentration to which the population is exposed within the monitored area. The WHO set the highest interim PM2.5 target value above 35 ug/m3 and the interim targets were also re-evaluated for individual lower PM2.5 levels (see table below). In 2015, the entire population of the Slovak Republic lived in areas with a concentration lower than this maximum target value. In 2019, 1.6% of the population was exposed to the highest tolerated concentration of 25-35 ug/m3. 98.3% of the population was exposed to concentrations in the range of 15-25 ug/m3. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has the potentially most serious adverse health effects compared to other pollutants. Due to their size up to 2.5 µm, they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems, including respiratory complications and cardiovascular disease. The WHO Air Quality Guideline was developed on the basis of scientific evidence and expert advice. This Guideline was first published in 1987 and updated in 1997 and 2005. The interim targets for annual average concentrations of PM2.5 under current legislation are set out in the following table:
 

Interim target-1 PM2,5 (µg/m3)  
IT-1 35 These levels are associated with about a 15% higher long-term mortality
risk relative to the AQG level
IT-2 25 In addition to other health benefits, these levels lower the risk of premature
mortality by approximately 6% (2–11%) relative to the IT-1 level
IT-3 15 In addition to other health benefits, these levels reduce the mortality risk
by approximately 6% (2–11%) relative to the IT-2 level
AQG 10 These are the lowest levels at which total, cardiopulmonary, and lung
cancer mortality have been shown to increase with more than 95% confidence
in response to long-term exposure to PM2.5

 
Source: WHO

 

Sumárne zhodnotenie

Medzinárodné porovnanie

The OECD Green Growth database contains selected indicators for monitoring progress towards green growth to support policy making and inform the public at large. The database provides a synthesis of data and indicators available across a wide range of domains. The sources of the underlying data used to populate the Green Growth Indicators, as presented here, include a range of OECD databases and, in some cases, external data sources. The database covers OECD member countries, accession countries and selected non-OECD countries (including the BRIICS economies - Brazil, Russian Federation, India, Indonesia, China and South Africa).


OECD Green Growth Indicators Database

Kontakt na spracovateľa

Ing. Dorota Hericová, SAŽP, dorota.hericova@sazp.sk