Faro has third cleanest air in Europe (among cities tested)
The Algarve capital of Faro is the city with the third cleanest air in Europe, according to a report released by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Tests showed Faro had 3.6 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre of air, the same value as Umea, but with about half the population of the Swedish city, which ranks second. Elsewhere in Sweden, Uppsala stands out as the European city with the cleanest air: 3.5 micrograms per cubic metre.
Funchal, capital of the Madeira archipelago, is the other Portuguese representative among the top-10, ranked eighth with 4.4 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre, while Lisbon is 38th with seven micrograms.
In last place among the cities tested is Slavonski Brod, Croatia, with 26.5 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre.
As EEA explains, cities are ranked from the “cleanest city to the most polluted, based on average concentration levels of fine particulate matter, (or PM2.5) over the past two calendar years.”
“Fine particulate matter is the air pollutant with the highest impact on health in terms of premature death and disease. This tool is focused on long term air quality, as long-term exposure to air pollution causes the most serious health effects,” it adds.
The agency adds that the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its health-based guidelines for air quality in 2021 and recommended a maximum level of 5 μg/m3 for fine particulate matter for long term exposure in order to protect health.
In 2008, the European Union (EU) set an annual limit value for fine particulate matter of 25 μg/m3 under policies to deliver clean air in Europe. However, the Ambient Air quality Directive 2008/50/EC is currently under revision to, among other things, align the EU standards more closely with the WHO recommendations, the agency explains.
The full ranking can be found on EEA’s website.