Health impacts of air pollution

The emissions of main pollutants decreased in Romania between 1990 and 2022, following measures such as an increase in the production of green electricity, an increase in low-sulphur fuels and biofuels and the implementation of economic and financial mechanisms for replacing industrial installations . But further efforts must be made to fulfil the requirements of the 2020–2029 National Emission Reduction Directive. Between 2005 and 2022, emissions of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM_2.5) . At the national level, the concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of 10 μm or less (PM₁₀) in the atmospheric air has followed a significant downward trend. The share of the urban population exposed to concentrations of PM₁₀ exceeding the limit values / target values for the protection of human health has decreased from approximately 27% in 2018 .

In 2023, PM_2.5 pollution further decreased in Romania, with an average value per year of 15.7 μg/m³, compared with 17.2 μg/m³ in the previous year, but Romania still ranked 9th . In 2023, the National Center for Statistics and Informatics in Public Health conducted a study in 44 Romanian cities to evaluate the population morbidity associated with air pollution factors. From 2020 to 2023, the incidence rate of bronchial asthma increased, although the PM₁₀ concentration decreased. For 2023, the results of the study show a lack of correlation between the incidence of asthma cases and .