Air pollution - State and impacts (Hungary)

The air quality in Hungary generally corresponds to the EU average, though there are Hungarian settlements where air quality is still not on the 'good' level, with significant differences between rural parts and larger cities.

Concentrations of SO₂, CO, benzene and lead are below set limits throughout the country. Decreased emissions of sulphur dioxide over the past one to two decades resulted in a lower ambient air concentration of that pollutant (Figure).

Levels of nitrogen oxides and ground-level ozone are (relatively) high, with the latter showing an increasing trend similar to other parts of Europe. Nitrous oxides play a significant role in acidification and eutrophication of ecosystems, while ground-level ozone poses a serious threat to agricultural production. Levels of particulate matter and NO_x in ambient air occasionally exceed the health limit values near main traffic routes in larger cities.

As a result of better understanding its health effects and of the availability of advanced measurement technology, fine particle pollution represents the highest risk to public health (in terms of air quality). An assessment of the health effects of PM₁₀ in Budapest and other cities, based on data from 2004, suggests that 170 premature deaths per 100 000 inhabitants per year can be attributed to long-term exposure to high PM concentrations.

According to data from the National Children’s Respiratory Survey performed by the National Institute of Environmental Health in the autumn of 2005, the prevalence of chronic bronchitis symptoms among 9-10-year old Hungarian children was 17.3 % which showed statistically significant associations with the yearly mean levels of PM₁₀ in the towns of the Central Transdanubian and the Central Hungarian Regions. At national level, the yearly mean PM₁₀ levels were significantly associated with the prevalence of clinically diagnosed asthma (7.3 %) and allergy cases (20.6 %), the latter showing significant correlation with high levels of different pollen concentrations.

The improvement in ambient air quality has resulted in a decreasing trend in morbidity and mortality associated with respiratory diseases, which is especially evident since 2000. However, further investigation is needed to identify the most recent trends and to isolate the health effects of outdoor air quality from the effects of cigarette smoke.

Air quality is measured by a sophisticated national air quality monitoring network which has been extended through the contribution of EU funds, doubling the number of on-line sampling points, and upgrading the vast majority of measuring stations. The National Institute of Environmental Health provides daily health-related information on the ambient air pollution level in Budapest and five other towns in order to protect the health of the potentially affected population and operates the Aerobiological Network.