Pm10 Exceedance in Bulgaria

Abstract

Despite the effort done by member states during the last decade, failure in the implementation of the Ambient Air Quality Directive is being continuously registered in many European cities for different air pollutants. One of the biggest concerns in Bulgaria is the exceeded PM10 concentration in the ambient air, measured in all six air quality zones during the winter period. This has induced numerous activities (at the national and European level) focused on the following issues: identification of the level of exceedance of the air quality norms for PM10; the general emission sources; the most prominent omissions and discrepancies in the legislative framework; the level of implementation of the prescribed measures and many others. However, the PM10 exceedance is still of a significant concern in at least 28 municipalities in Bulgaria. Thus, the present work introduces a brief report on the current state of the problem in the country. For that purpose, benchmarking analyses was applied for obtaining the range of discrepancies and the tendencies of the PM10 concentrations, monitored in the ambient air at the affected municipalities. The investigation was carried out using merely officially reported and freely accessible data and covered a relatively short period of time of six years. The latest national and European environmental reports present data confirming the primary role of residential heating and transport during the winter period as well as at the occurrence of particular atmospheric conditions.

Development of Renewable Energy Sources in the Context of Threats Resulting from Low-Altitude Emissions in Rural Areas in Poland: A Review

“…Poland (alongside Bulgaria) belongs to the countries with the highest air pollution recorded in Europe. In particular, this is an area with a high content of PM10 particulate matter (above 50 µg/m 3 ) [21][22][23].…”

Size-Segregated Particulate Matter from Gasification of Bulgarian Agro-Forest Biomass Residue

“…Recently in Bulgaria, the atmospheric PM was characterized with a general focus on PM 10 and PM 2.5 . The PM investigations were carried out mainly in two directions, as follows: (a) monitoring the concentration of PM 10 and PM 2.5 in the atmospheric air and its dispersion [28][29][30][31] by experimental techniques or computational models; (b) characterization of atmospheric PM in terms of their chemical composition [32][33][34]. A lack of detailed characterization of the PM emitted during typically applied utilization processes of locally produced and provided blends of biofuels was observed.…”

Living Environment Quality Determinants, Including PM2.5 and PM10 Dust Pollution in the Context of Spatial Issues—The Case of Radzionków

“…Air pollution emitted in this area of Poland can be considered an external source of air pollution, affecting, among others, the eastern regions of the Czech Republic [6]. Poland, along with Bulgaria, is one of the countries with the highest levels of PM 10 air pollution (above 50 µg/m 3 ) in Europe [7][8][9]. Both high-altitude and low-altitude emissions have a significant impact on measurable and perceptible air quality in living areas [10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…A substantial amount of research has been conducted on PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollution around the world. The main areas of focus include spatial issues and the time of occurrence of pollution [5][6][7][8][9][10], particle pollution sources [20][21][22][23], effects on human health [24][25][26][27] and estimation studies [28][29][30][31].…”