Air quality remains good
Low pollution levels maintained says Valencia government
LEVELS of atmospheric pollution in the Valencia region remain low – despite a ‘slight rise’ recorded as the area emerged from lockdown.
Figures have been reported from the stations around the region, which form part of the atmospheric pollution observation network.
Results complied from April 13 to June 14 this year were compared with the same period in 2019. Researchers found that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels had gone down by an average of 50% during these two months, mainly due to the reduced road traffic.
A spokesman for the department for the ecological transition explained that NO2 levels had gone down by 61% ‘during the most strict period of confinement’, which was March 15 to April 12 – and had then risen by 11% during the following phases of the exit plan.
NO2 is a pollutant produced as a result of road traffic and other fossil fuel combustion processes.
Exposure over short periods can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma – and long-term exposure may contribute to the development of asthma and ‘potentially increase susceptibility to respiratory infections’.
The spokesman noted that the largest reductions in NO2 had come in urban areas.
He added that ‘concentrations of all atmospheric contaminants’ have been low since the coronavirus crisis started – and have been lower than the same period last year.
PM10 are very small particles found in dust and smoke and can also affect people with heart and lung conditions, he noted. This pollutant was reduced by an average of 23% during confinement – and by 45% in areas which normally have dense traffic.
Common sources of PM10 particles include dust from unsealed roads, smoke from fires, car and truck exhausts, industry and sea salt.
Levels of tropospheric ozone (O3) also saw a reduction – down by an average of 19% on last year since the start of confinement in March.
O3 is a reactive gas that exists in the stratosphere and the troposphere and is a shortlived climate pollutant with an atmospheric lifetime of hours to weeks.
It does not have any direct emissions sources, rather it is a secondary gas formed by the interaction of sunlight with hydrocarbons – including methane – and nitrogen oxides, which are emitted by vehicles, fossil fuel power plants, and other man-made sources.
The Valencia region’s atmospheric pollution observation network is made up of 65 stations situation around the three provinces of Alicante, Valencia and Castellón.