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[ZR07] Air pollution by ozone
Key message
In recent years, ambient concentrations of ozone in urban and suburban areas has been above target value for human health protection. Long-term targets have been exceeded at almost all measuring sites. Due to fewer hot sunny summer seasons, the information threshold levels have been exceeded only in the Primorska region and in some places at higher altitudes - Otlica. However, also some exceedances have been recorded at measuring sites that are not directly exposed to traffic. The highest levels of ozone have been recorded in the Primorska region namely because of weather patterns that are favourable for the ozone formation and due to the transport of ozone and its precursor from northern Italy.
Definition
This indicator shows the number of days with exceeded ozone target value and the number of hours with exceeded information value within a calendar year.
Tropospheric ozone differs from some other pollutants, as it is a product of photochemical reactions. Ozone precursors, especially nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, are substances from which ozone is formed in photochemical reactions. Consequently, high ozone concentrations do not occur in the immediate vicinity of large sources of precursors but in their wider surroundings. Under stable weather conditions during anticyclones, ozone clouds with high ozone concentrations can have a diameter of hundreds of kilometres and can be several kilometres high. Ozone concentrations above the information value may cause health problems (chest pain, coughing, vomiting, irritated eyes) in children and in people with chronic respiratory and cardio-vascular diseases. Repeated exposure to high ozone concentrations may cause permanent lung damage.
Charts
Automatic Air Quality Measurement Database (ANAS), Slovenian Environment Agency, 2021 (1. 03. 2021)
| Urban background[number of days] | Ljubljana Bežigrad[number of days] | Hrastnik[number of days] | Celje[number of days] | Nova Gorica[number of days] | Koper[number of days] | Suburban background[number of days] | Trbovlje[number of days] | Rural background[number of days] | Iskrba[number of days] | Otlica[number of days] | Urban-traffic type[number of days] | Maribor center[number of days] | Zagorje[number of days] | Rural/Agricultural type[number of days] | Murska Sobota - Rakičan[number of days] | permitted exceedance[number of days] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 43 | 42 | 31 | 40 | 59 | 0 | 25 | 25 | 47 | 47 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 50 | 50 | 25 |
| 2005 | 46.25 | 47 | 32 | 45 | 61 | 0 | 26 | 26 | 59 | 59 | 0 | 11.50 | 6 | 17 | 48 | 48 | 25 |
| 2006 | 35.25 | 37 | 25 | 33 | 46 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 7.50 | 3 | 12 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| 2007 | 39 | 41 | 29 | 38 | 48 | 55 | 20 | 20 | 61 | 61 | 0 | 8.50 | 3 | 14 | 30 | 30 | 25 |
| 2008 | 32.75 | 35 | 26 | 28 | 42 | 60 | 18 | 18 | 65.50 | 53 | 78 | 6.50 | 3 | 10 | 23 | 23 | 25 |
| 2009 | 26.25 | 29 | 20 | 22 | 34 | 55 | 15 | 15 | 59.50 | 47 | 72 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 19 | 25 |
| 2010 | 23.75 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 32 | 57 | 17 | 17 | 48 | 39 | 57 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 25 |
| 2011 | 33 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 46 | 65 | 22 | 22 | 53 | 40 | 66 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 27 | 27 | 25 |
| 2012 | 40.25 | 37 | 34 | 33 | 57 | 66 | 22 | 22 | 55 | 42 | 68 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 38 | 38 | 25 |
| 2013 | 41.25 | 40 | 32 | 33 | 60 | 69 | 19 | 19 | 41 | 41 | 69 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 39 | 39 | 25 |
| 2014 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 56 | 15 | 15 | 37 | 37 | 54 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 27 | 27 | 25 |
| 2015 | 28.40 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 48 | 62 | 14 | 14 | 31 | 31 | 48 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 22 | 25 |
| 2016 | 23.80 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 43 | 57 | 12 | 12 | 32 | 25 | 39 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 25 |
| 2017 | 32.20 | 35 | 24 | 22 | 50 | 64 | 18 | 18 | 40 | 31 | 49 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| 2018 | 25.60 | 29 | 17 | 17 | 42 | 55 | 14 | 14 | 36.50 | 24 | 49 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 23 | 23 | 25 |
| 2019 | 30.75 | 31 | 0 | 20 | 45 | 53 | 17 | 17 | 42.50 | 28 | 57 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 28 | 28 | 25 |
Automatic Air Quality Measurement Database (ANAS), Slovenian Environment Agency, 2021 (1. 03. 2021)
Urban background [number of hours] | Ljubljana Bežigrad [number of hours] | Hrastnik [number of hours] | Celje [number of hours] | Nova Gorica [number of hours] | Koper [number of hours] | Suburban background [number of hours] | Trbovlje [number of hours] | Rural background [number of hours] | Iskrba [number of hours] | Otlica [number of hours] | Urban-traffic type [number of hours] | Maribor center [number of hours] | Rural/Agricultural type [number of hours] | Murska Sobota - Rakičan [number of hours] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
1996 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1997 | 2.67 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1998 | 1.33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2000 | 1.67 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2001 | 1.33 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2002 | 7.50 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2003 | 30.25 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
2004 | 7.25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2005 | 11.60 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
2006 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2007 | 6.80 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 7 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.50 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2009 | 0.60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2010 | 0.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2011 | 1.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2012 | 7.20 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2013 | 8.60 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2015 | 2.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | 2.67 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7.50 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 | 1.67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2019 | 1.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12.50 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goals
- Meeting the ozone target value for human health protection: the maximum daily 8-hour mean value for ozone (120 µg/m3) must not be exceeded more than 25 days within a calendar year (calculated as the average for the last three years);
- meeting long-term goals as regards ozone values for human health protection: the maximum daily 8-hour mean value for ozone (120 µg/m3) must not be exceeded;
- the information value of hourly ozone concentration for human health protection is 180 µg/m3, while the alert value is 240 μg/m3.
