Bulgaria ranks first in the European Union in premature mortality caused by air pollution with fine particulate matter (PM). While countries such as Sweden and Finland report the lowest levels with only 39 deaths per 100,000 people, the situation in our country remains critical.
The entire population of our country lives with pollution levels exceeding WHO recommendations, and for the period 2021-2023, Bulgaria's progress in reducing the risk is only 2-5%, unlike the Scandinavian countries [https://bnrnews.bg/horizont/post/524539/balgariya-e-s-nay-visoka-prezhdevremenna-smartnost-v-es-zaradi-fpch].
Main sources and health risks
Pollution factors include solid fuel domestic heating, energy and outdated vehicle fleet. Exposure to PM leads to strokes, heart and chronic lung diseases.
Challenges and measures
Bulgaria, together with other countries, is trying to postpone the deadline for the stricter European standards for 2030 by 10 years. Deficiencies such as the limited number of monitoring stations and the absence of the National Center for Environmental Protection in environmental strategies are also reported.