Air quality in Eastern Europe is often very different from what is officially measured and reported. This is what the German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) claims, accusing six countries of concealing the real values of pollution.
Nitrogen dioxide is contained in the exhaust gases of diesel engines. According to DUH data, measurements at 64 locations in Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Kosovo, Slovakia and Romania show significantly higher levels of pollution compared to official data.
Significantly higher concentration
For the purpose of the study, German ecologists conducted between 2022 and 2024 more than 300 air quality measurements - but not at the places where the official state measuring stations are placed, reports the German “Tageszeitung”. In 64 of these locations, the results showed a significantly higher concentration of nitrogen dioxide than officially measured. And in 55 places, the level of nitrogen dioxide exceeded the EU-defined annual average value of 40 micrograms per cubic meter.
From this data, the German environmental organization concluded that the official measuring stations were installed away from the main points of pollution, and that inappropriate measuring instruments were used. Such a thing would violate European law, writes the publication and explains that the EU has clear directives on the matter – measuring stations should be placed in places where the strongest air pollution is expected.
The scandal with the diesel cars, some of which also went to Bulgaria
High levels of nitrogen dioxide, which is contained in the exhaust gases of cars, buses and trucks with diesel engines, are very dangerous to health. Every year in the EU, more than 142,000 people die prematurely as a result of high pollution with poisonous nitrogen dioxide, says DUH director Jürgen Resch. We are calling for an independent review of all official measuring stations in Europe so that the true extent of air pollution is no longer hidden.
For Eastern Europe, and Bulgaria in particular, a large number of old diesel cars from Germany were found to have had their emission control devices manipulated to show lower values. In Germany, this caused a huge scandal. In Eastern Europe, however, cars continue to be sold and used. According to Resch, quoted by Tageszeitung, some of these cars exceed 40 times the permissible emissions of nitrogen dioxide during normal operation. He insists that these cars be equipped with exhaust gas treatment systems at the expense of the manufacturer and not be exported as used cars without being retrofitted.
The problem with fine dust particles
No less risky is the problem of fine particulate matter (PMP). According to the European Environment Agency, at least 238,000 people died in the EU in 2020 alone because they were exposed to fine particulate matter concentrations above 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
The World Health Organization says that the average annual concentration should not exceed this value, because otherwise there is a risk of serious damage to health. These particles, invisible to the naked eye, can get into the lungs and blood circulation, then cause inflammation and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
On the map of the European Development Agency with data for 2021 and 2022, showing the pollution with fine dust particles, colored red (with bad air) are the Bulgarian cities of Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo and Ruse.