Ecopolis Centre for Sustainable Policies to measure air pollution in Bucharest

The Ecopolis Centre for Sustainable Policies will measure nitrogen dioxide concentrations at 50 locations across Bucharest, Romania.

This project is part of the European See What You Breathe campaign, which is running simultaneously in nine countries including Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Poland, and Romania. The Polish Smog Alert association coordinates the campaign, which receives funding from the Clean Air Fund. Researchers will use 100 passive sampling tubes to collect air samples over a period of 28 days.

These tubes will gather data from all six districts of Bucharest, with specific placements including 22 sites on main boulevards, 22 on secondary streets, five near schools, and one in a park. A laboratory in Switzerland will analyze the samples to assess traffic-related air pollution. The initiative addresses a long-standing issue where the European Commission initiated infringement proceedings against Romania in 2020. This occurred because nitrogen dioxide levels exceeded limits in five cities, including Bucharest, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Timișoara.

New European Union rules will further reduce the annual limit for nitrogen dioxide from 40 µg/m³ to 20 µg/m³ by 1 January 2030. Oana Neneciu, the Executive Director of the Ecopolis Centre for Sustainable Policies, stated that the data should help authorities create policies like a Low Emission Zone to protect public health.