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Bad news: Budapest and Hungarian cities struggle with alarming air pollution levels
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Hungarian cities and towns did not perform well in the latest air quality rankings published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), with Budapest standing out for its high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in the atmosphere.
Budapest and Hungarian towns polluted
According to the EEA’s recent report, Budapest ranks 242nd out of 372 European cities in terms of air pollution. Other Hungarian cities also scored poorly, with Pécs taking 246th place, Veszprém in 254th, Szeged in 274th, and Győr at 295th.
These rankings are based on the concentration of PM2.5 particles in the air, a metric that reflects long-term exposure risks to human health. A lower rank means cleaner air, and unfortunately, the higher positions of Hungarian cities highlight the significant pollution problem they face.
The focus on PM2.5 particles is due to their harmful nature, Világgazdaság reports. These tiny particles, which can be as small as 2.5 microns in diameter, are considered the most dangerous among common pollutants. They can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, leading to serious health issues like respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
In Hungary, poor air quality is linked to around 10,000 premature deaths annually, alongside approximately one million cases of illness each year.
The majority of these health impacts are preventable if actions are taken to curb pollution.
Urgent changes are needed in Europe
The report used data from the last two calendar years, as long-term exposure is typically the most dangerous. Constant exposure to polluted air over time increases the risk of chronic diseases and early death. In 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) revised its air quality guidelines, recommending that annual average PM2.5 concentrations should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
It was so much worse when I was there 89-90. November 1989 I was on the tram on Margit Hid and I couldn’t see the Lanc Hid through the smog. Buildings in those days were black from pollution. A Trabant would start its’ engine and you could still see the smoke long after it had left. I jog in the Varosliget and sometimes I notice my stamina is reduced from the pollution. One time I went to Harkany and I felt like I could jog twice the distance in the fresh air. Coal power generation and diesel vehicles are the worst sources of pollution.
You should have seen the air pollution when diesel cars and trucks were everywhere. Anyway, thanks for the negative news, as if we didn’t have enough of it coming from Brussels.