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Air Quality

Current state: 

PM10 Warning

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  • Air Quality
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      • How we are fighting against pollution
      • The Barcelona Public Health Agency
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Menu navigation instructions

Instructions for keyboard users

This menu requires arrow keys to be able to use it. The menu has up to three levels:

  • First level: main menu options
  • Second level: sub-options for elements from the first level
  • Third level: sub-options for elements from the second level

Browsing instructions:

  • Browse using the vertical arrow keys on the first level of the menu.
  • Use the right arrow key to display the second level.
  • Browse on the second level using the vertical arrow keys.
  • Use the Escape key to get back to the first level.
  • Use the right arrow key to display the third level.
  • Browse the third level by using the vertical arrow keys.
  • Use the Escape key to get back to the second level.
  • Alternatively, use the Enter key to display any level.
  • Air Quality
    Air Quality
    • What is happening to the air we breathe
    • What we are doing and where we are going
    • How we are fighting against pollution
      • How we are fighting against pollution
      • How we are fighting against pollution
      • The Barcelona Public Health Agency
      • Atmospheric pollution monitoring and forecasting network
      • The Committee to Combat Air Pollution
      • 'Escola Respira' Programme
      • Participatory Process of the Regulatory Byelaw of the Low-Emissions Zone
  • Health
    Health
    • Effects on health
    • Advice for clean air
    • The support of the medical and scientific community
  • Pollution
    Pollution
    • Pollution: daily and episodes
    • Pollution and pollution ascenarios
      • Pollution and pollution ascenarios
      • Pollution and pollution ascenarios
      • Polluting particles
      • Polluting gases
      • Pollution by particles and gases
    • Other pollutants
    • The state of air quality
    • Environmental data maps
  • Low emission zone
    Low emission zone
    • What is the Barcelona Ring Roads Low Emission Zone?
    • Circulate in Barcelona
    • Vehicles with a foreign number plate
    • Alternative transport
    • The DGT environmental label
  • Latest news and resources
    Latest news and resources
    • News
    • Register for the warnings
    • FAQ
    • Regulations
    • Studies and reports

High level PM10 warning

  1. Home
  2. / Pollution

Pollution: daily and episodes

Daily pollution

Every day, we breathe in air that contains polluting elements that reduce our quality of life. We are referring to high average annual levels of pollution both in terms of gases and suspended particles. In Barcelona, the daily levels set by the authorities are rarely exceeded, although the annual average level of air pollutants is still elevated as a group.  This means that the presence of pollutants in the atmosphere is high throughout the year even though there are few days on which the limits determined by the declaration of a pollution episode are exceeded.

To combat the high annual levels of pollution in Barcelona city, different structural measures are being implemented to help to reduce the pollutants permanently over the whole year. These measures include actions relating to the urban model, mobility, infrastructure and other fields.

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Atmospheric-pollution episodes

Atmospheric-pollution episodes are specific meteorological situations of high pollution in which the limits established by the competent authorities are exceeded and no improvement is forecast in the following days. This exceptional event necessitates the immediate application of specific measures to facilitate the dispersion and reduction of air pollutants to protect people’s health. 

Certain meteorological circumstances, such as the absence of abundant rainfall or the presence of anticyclones, hinder the dispersion of polluting elements and facilitate their accumulation and concentration, which is why they often act as a trigger for atmospheric-pollution episodes in areas where high average levels are usually registered.

When high concentrations of polluting elements are registered in the atmosphere and they are not expected to disperse, the Government of Catalonia  has the power to declare an atmospheric-pollution episode. This situation can occur in three different scenarios:

  • Preventive warning: due to the concentration of NO2 gases or PM10 particles in the atmosphere.
  • Declaration of a high atmospheric-pollution episode due to the concentration of NO2 gases: due to the high concentration of NO2 gases in the atmosphere.
  • Declaration of a high atmospheric-pollution episode due to the concentration of PM10 particles: due to the high concentration of PM10 particles in the atmosphere.

To cope with atmospheric-pollution episodes, Barcelona City Council activates a pollution protocol with measures to reduce the principal emission factors, such as mobility or public works or actions in the street that generate dust.

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Related Links

  • Action protocol for high levels of atmospheric pollution in Barcelona city (PDF 2.37 MB)
  • Generalitat de Catalunya: Medi Ambient. Atmosfera
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