The Council of the European Union has adopted a Directive that sets stricter limits for pollutants affecting human health, which should be achieved by 2030. Citizens can claim compensation if their health is damaged due to non-compliance with regulations.
The permitted annual concentration for the smallest PM2.5 particles is lowered from 25 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter, while for nitrogen dioxide it will be halved to 20 micrograms. The WHO recommendation is that the concentration of PM 2.5 should not exceed five micrograms per cubic meter of air.
“The more those recommended values are exceeded, the greater the probability that the disease will occur in a shorter period and with greater probability. In addition to diseases of the heart and blood vessels, there are diseases of the respiratory organs, lung cancer, and diabetes,” said Dr. Elizabet Paunović, former director of the WHO European Center for Environment and Health.
The directive stipulates that citizens can claim compensation for damage to health due to polluted air, and states have two years to include it in national legislation.
“It is certain that our Regulation will also be updated. There will certainly be revisions to the existing Regulation, which will now be harmonized with the new updated version adopted by the European Commission”, said Dr. Andrej Šoštarić, head of the Air Testing Cabinet of the City Institute for Public Health – Belgrade.
In Serbia, monitoring has been improved and it shows that the air was very polluted in most cities last year as well. Exceeding the average daily limit value of PM particles of 50 µg/m3 is allowed 35 days a year, and that number has already been exceeded in 36 settlements. In Belgrade, air quality is controlled at 40 places.
“We have 180 pieces of data in one hour, from which we generate one piece of information about what the air is like in principle, that is, short, clear information. It is certainly recommended to reduce the time spent in open spaces, to avoid physical activity, and for chronic patients to take special account of whether it is necessary to consult a doctor if they experience symptoms of their underlying disease,” adds Dr. Šoštarić.
It is estimated that every year 300,000 people in the European Union die prematurely due to polluted air.
“If we look at 100,000 inhabitants and standardized for age, the Republic of Serbia has a mortality rate from PM2.5 particles that is almost four times higher than that of developed Western European countries and twice as high as the world average,” said Paunović.
Two years ago, the Government of Serbia adopted the Air Protection Program until 2030, which states that air pollution is one of the leading risk factors for human health and the cause of around 12,000 premature deaths per year in Serbia. If emissions from energy, combustion plants, transport, industry and agriculture were to be reduced, as planned, that number would drop to 7,400 per year.
Source: RTS
Source: energetskiportal.rs
