Umweltbundesamt
The background level of one main air pollutant (ozone) in German agglomerations still exceeds World Health Organisation (WHO) guide line values.Close to sources, pollutant levels can even be significantly higher.The situation regarding nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter has greatly improved since 2000. In 2020, the mean value fell below the WHO recommendation for PM 2.5 for the first time.Ozo... read more
Population-weighted particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in Germany were significantly lower in 2020 than in 2010.In 2020, the population-weighted particulate matter exposure was 8.6 micrograms per cubic meter on average for the year. This is 37 % less than in 2010.The decrease in exposure is due to declining emissions from stationary sources (e.g., power plants, industrial operations) and measures t... read more
The exposure of the population to particulate matter (excluding traffic-related measuring points) was significantly lower in 2020 than in 2010.Particulate matter concentrations in ambient air are considerably affected by weather conditions which may vary substantially within the year and from one year to another.The German Environment Agency (UBA) proposes a target of keeping the exposure of the e... read more
Lead is a toxic heavy metal and usually occurs bound to other substances. In ambient air lead is measured bound to particulate matter. read more
Cadmium is toxic and cancerogenic. It belongs to the heavy metals and usually occurs bound to other substances. In ambient air arsenic is measured bound to particulate matter. read more
Arsenic is toxic and can have metallic or non-metallic characteristics. It rarely occurs elementary but most of the time bound to other substances. In ambient air arsenic is measured bound to particulate matter. read more
Heavy metals in ambient air rarely occur elementary but most of the time bound to particulate matter. By inhalation health risks arise because some pollutants like arsenic, cadmium and nickel are classified to be cancerogenic.The European directive 2004/107/EC regulates the measurement and assessment of arsenic, cadmium and nickel in particulate matter (PM10). Lead in particulate matter... read more
Smoke from house chimneys can lead to unpleasant odours in the neighbourhood and be harmful to health. read more
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.
