The Influence of Ozone Concentrations on Public Health over the Greater Athens Area, Greece

Abstract

Ozone is formed in the lower layers of the atmosphere mainly by gases emitted by anthropogenic activities in combination with solar radiation. In the present study, the short-term health impacts of ozone (O3) on people living in the Greater Athens Area in Greece are analyzed for the period 2001–2018 by estimating the cardiorespiratory deaths with the AirQ+ model. Ozone measurements (8-h mean values) for two areas with different characteristics (Thrakomakedones and Athinas) were used provided by the National Air Pollution Monitoring Network. Data processing showed that environmental conditions and geographical characteristics influence O3 variation and the risk of cardiorespiratory deaths. The statistical analysis of O3 measurements revealed that at the southwestern suburb of Thrakomakedones the mean annual concentrations range from 74 to 96 μgr/m3, much higher than in the Athens center (40–56 μgr/m3, station: Athinas). Τhe O3 concentration threshold was exceeded in Thrakomakedones approximately 90 times per year, while in the Athinas monitoring station, it was exceeded only 25 times. According to the AirQ+ software package, the percentage of deaths due to O3 exposure ranges from 6% in Thrakomakedones to 7.5% in the Athinas station.

Keywords

• air quality
• Athens
• Greece
• ozone (O₃)
• AirQ+
• health