We see them on certain screens: these little colored smileys which represent the air quality in the area (as required by law). Is it rather good, average, degraded or poor?
In March, Atmo Grand Est published the air quality report for the year 2023. Human activities and certain natural phenomena emit substances into the air which alter its quality: this has numerous consequences, particularly on the population health and ecosystem stability.
In 2023, the weather was favorable for the dispersion of pollutants. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations and particulate matter have decreased. Ozone remains the only pollutant whose concentrations have been increasing for several years. The Ministry of the Environment details this complex phenomenon: ozone comes from reactions between different pollutants released by human activities (road transport, industry, residential heating, use of solvents, agricultural activities), as well as by vegetation under the effect of solar UV radiation.
Compared to 2022, air quality indices were generally better
In Metz, the air quality index was estimated as “good” eight days a year. It was average for “277” days, “degraded” for 58 days and poor for 22 days.
Compared to 2022, air quality indices were generally better.
For more than thirty years, air quality has improved in the European Union but air pollution remains the leading environmental cause of premature deaths: in the Grand Est, air pollution is responsible for around 5,000 deaths per year. year, or 11% of regional mortality.
All live information can be viewed on the Atmo Grand Est website
