Hundreds of thousands die from nitrogen dioxide pollution every year. In cities like Sofia, this problem is covered up and does not exist on paper.
From Vitosha to the north, in theory, there is a beautiful view of Sofia. In practice, the Bulgarian capital is often shrouded in thick smog. The main blame for this lies with the thousands of old diesel cars that emit huge amounts of dirty and toxic exhaust gases.
In winter, another pollutant is added to this pollutant - the smoke from solid fuel heating stoves that burn coal and waste. All this turns Sofia into one of the European cities with the dirtiest air.
Officially, however, this problem does not exist. The measured values of toxic nitrogen dioxides (NO₂) in most cases do not exceed the maximum allowed in the EU of 40 micrograms per cubic meter of air. This means that, on paper, the air pollution in Sofia is within the permissible limit.
Current publication of "About the Earth"
from October 8, however, shows that the authorities are deliberately covering up what the state of the air is. This is because the air quality in Sofia is measured in places where the true degree of pollution is not taken into account.
One of the official measuring stations, for example, is located in the courtyard of NIMH, which is "virtually a park", 65 meters from a main road. "These measuring stations have been providing data for years to ensure that Sofia allegedly complies with the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide," says Ivaylo Khlebarov from "Za Zemitea". Measurements carried out by the organization of busy roads and intersections in the city show values almost twice as high as those officially announced.
The cover-up of air pollution by the authorities "borders on a crime against public health", according to the organization.
Sofia is not an isolated case
However, the Bulgarian capital is not an isolated case. The degree of air pollution is systematically concealed in a number of European countries - apart from Bulgaria, also in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Kosovo and Romania. This is confirmed by the results of the measurements of seven environmental organizations
carried out in 64 localities from 2022 to 2024. They showed significantly higher levels of NO₂ than indicated by the authorities. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations were also measured at 55 locations, significantly higher than the EU's mandatory annual average limit value of 40 micrograms per cubic meter, which has been in place for more than 14 years.
In the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, for example, officially measured values are at least twice lower than those reported by environmentalists. In Sofia, they are 47% lower, in Budapest - by 43%, in Bratislava - by 27% lower, and in Bucharest - by 24% lower than the measurements of environmental organizations.
Eastern Europe is flooded with dirty old diesels
Nitrogen dioxide emissions are mainly due to diesel cars that do not clean the exhaust gases sufficiently. In some cases, carmakers have been committing massive fraud for years - as the scandal that broke out in 2015 and started first at Volkswagen made clear. The same vicious practice was later found in other car manufacturers. In fact, diesel cars sold as new until 2020 do not meet EU restrictions and have not yet been retrofitted by manufacturers.
Older diesel cars emit on average around five times more nitrogen dioxide than the EU limits. This mainly affects the citizens of Central and South-Eastern Europe, as there are a particularly large number of old diesel cars on the roads there.
Take Kosovo's capital for example: "Pristina's air quality is a victim of the widespread use of diesel cars, resulting in NO₂ levels that exceed WHO and EU permissible values," says Arben Lila from the Health and Environmental Protection Agency organization Kosovo Advocacy & Development Centre.
States are obliged to protect the health of their citizens
Nitrogen dioxide is a toxic irritant gas. It can damage the cells of the lungs and other organs, cause inflammatory processes in the body, diabetes and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack. The European Environment Agency estimates that around 140,000 people in the EU die every year
as a result of air pollution caused by nitrogen dioxide.
The limit values for nitrogen dioxide in the air are set to protect the population. From 2021, the new recommended value of the World Health Organization (WHO) is now ten micrograms of NO₂ per cubic meter of air. It used to be 40 micrograms of NO₂ per cubic meter of air. This maximum value remains relevant for EU countries.
Member States are obliged to monitor compliance with air quality and report current data to the EU authorities. If the limit value of 40 micrograms of NO₂ is exceeded, they must take measures to reduce emissions to protect their citizens.
With a decision of the European Parliament, it was accepted that in 2030 the maximum permissible value will drop by half compared to the current level - to 20 micrograms of NO₂ per cubic meter of air.
The EU is aware of the problem, but the ball is in the member states
The European Commission (EC) knows that environmental protection organizations in some countries have found higher concentrations of NO₂ in the air than officially announced, it is clear from the Commission's response to an inquiry by DV. The press service of the EC assures that, together with the European Environment Agency, efforts are being made to place official measuring devices in the places with the "highest concentrations of air pollutants", as well as to clarify the "reasons for the discrepancies".
Responsibility for correct measurement results, however, rests with the Member States. "They have the appropriate means to solve the problem if the concerns turn out to be well-founded", emphasizes a spokesperson for the Commission.
In Bulgaria, says Ivaylo Khlebarov from "For the Earth", the authorities have not yet responded publicly to the revelations made by his organization. "In some cases, when we confronted them with the problem, they expressed doubt about the reference values we measured," says Khlebarov. "The authorities seem to think they are always right. But this is often not the case. They should be more open. However, if there is a lack of political will, then the only thing we can do is to increase the pressure", says the Bulgarian environmentalist.