Air & Environment 2023 – Particles
About publication
Air & Environment 2023 – Particles takes us on a journey among particles so small that they are invisible but that have huge socio-economic costs every year, primarily through the adverse health effects that they cause.
Are particle concentrations moving in the right direction and are we implementing the necessary measures? Are there factors that risk counteracting positive trends?
Taking the right measures requires a better understanding of particles, identifying their sources and knowing their effects. Research and political leaders bear the responsibility of working together so that we can achieve a society with as low particle concentrations as possible. Tools are available to make progress and it is important that we use them.
The results from Swedish environmental monitoring allow us to describe the current state, reveal changes and assess threats to the environment. They provide important data for international reporting and for evaluating progress towards the environmental quality objective. The findings from these systematic studies are also used as supporting data for identifying and adopting effective measures.
Particles, together with several other air pollutants, are monitored in regional and urban background within the framework of the Swedish EPA’s national environmental monitoring programme for air. Swedish municipalities are responsible for assessing whether the environmental quality standards for air, including particles, are met.
