Elda shines as a clean air leader: NO2 levels below WHO limits

Air quality in Elda continues to meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) standards.

This result is based on provisional data for 2023 from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Once again, Elda stands out among Spanish cities with over 50,000 residents for keeping nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels below 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

Updated Guidelines

In 2021, the WHO updated its guidelines, lowering the safe NO2 level from 40 to 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

Data from the monitoring station at Finca Lacy shows that in both 2023 and 2022, Elda’s NO2 levels stayed at 9 micrograms per cubic metre.

After the WHO’s update, many large Spanish cities exceeded the new limits, but Elda remained within the safe zone.

Safe Limits

Besides NO2, other air quality indicators from the Finca Lacy station, including the final figures for 2022 and provisional ones for 2023, show that Elda’s air is still well within safe limits.

The station checks various parameters like suspended particles (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, and sulfur dioxide levels, all of which are comfortably below the maximum allowed thresholds.

Top European City

Thanks to these consistent air quality records, Elda ranks among the top European cities for air quality, according to the EEA.

This ranking pays special attention to the concentration of fine particles (PM2.5), which have serious health effects, including contributing to premature death and disease.

Elda’s Mayor, Rubén Alfaro, expressed his pride in the city’s ongoing success with air quality, stating, “For another year, our city is among the best in Spain for air quality.”