Spain's capital above WHO pollution levels for 2015

Data published by the town hall here on Tuesday shows the Spanish capital registered levels of pollution above those fixed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for "all primary contaminants" except ozone for 2015.

A total of 13 of the 24 stations situated in Madrid to measure pollution levels showed levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) above the permitted annual average of 40 micro-grams per cubic meter (ug/m3) of air, while eight also registered levels above the hourly maximum of 200 ug/m3.

This level is only allowed to be reached a maximum of 18 times during a year.

The worst episodes of contamination for NO2 happened in January, November, and December last year and were made worse by long-lasting, high-pressure systems over Spain which led to a lack of both wind and rain.

The high level of contamination caused the town hall to implement restrictions on traffic in the capital during two separate four-day periods at the end of November and the start of December.

Levels of tropospheric ozone also rose during 2015 with 12 of the 24 measuring stations in the capital capturing levels exceeding the permitted level of 120 micro-grams.

The levels of other contaminants such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and heavy metals were below the legal limits.

The Madrid Town Hall informed that in order to deal with the pollution problem, it was currently developing a plan for atmospheric quality and climate change in order to comply with WHO and European Union rules, as well as the requirements reached at the December 2015 Paris climate change conference. Endit