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Exposure to air pollution by particulate matter

Exposure to air pollution by particulate matter 2013
Catalonia Spain European Union-27
Particulates <10µm 21.3 19.9 25.1
Particulates <2.5µm 15.3 10.7 16.4
Units: µg/m³.
Source Catalonia: Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda. Source Spain and European Union: Eurostat.
Indicador ODS Indicator 11.50 from the EU Sustainable Development Goals

Last update: September 23, 2020. Revised series on October 9, 2020.

ICA

These statistics have a specific section with all the information available: Air Pollution Index (ICA).

Methodological note

The indicator measures the population weighted annual mean concentration of particulate matter at urban background stations in agglomerations. Fine and coarse particulates (PM10), i.e. particulates whose diameters are less than 10 micrometers, can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and exacerbate the condition of people suffering heart and lung diseases.

Fine particulates (PM2.5) are those whose diameters are less than 2.5 micrometers. They are therefore a subset of the PM10 particles. Their deleterious health impacts are more serious than PM10 as they can be drawn further into the lungs and may be more toxic.

See also