URBAN AIR QUALITY AND POPULATION EXPOSURE IN EUROPE.

Assessing the state of air quality in urban and suburban areas over the last decades in Europe we can generally say that a clear improvement of many pollution indicators has been achieved. Nevertheless local and national authorities often record increased concentrations of ozone, suspended particles (PM 2.5, PM 10) and carcinogenic compounds, e.g. benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in urban air. Efforts and progress made on indoor and outdoor air quality with the aim to reducing air pollution and exposure of humans to harmful pollutants in Europe will be briefly reviewed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]