Effects of European emission reductions on air quality in the Netherlands and the associated health effects

Policies implemented in Europe since the 1970s to improve the air quality have resulted in decreases in emissions in many countries with corresponding reductions in concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM). We report here how much the air quality and associated health effects in the Netherlands have improved since 1980 and which countries, sectors and policies are responsible for this. To quantify the effects of emission reduction policies since 1980 we calculated the ambient concentrations of air pollutants in the Netherlands from 1980 to 201... Mehr ...