Bulgaria 2003
Air
Tropospheric ozone layer
Impact
Ozone, O3, is a strong photochemical oxidant. Ozone in ambient air causes serious health problems and damage to material assets and ecosystems. Human exposure to elevated levels of ozone concentrations can give rise to inflammatory responses and decreases in lung functions.
Ozone exposure of ecosystems and agricultural crops results in visible foliar injury and in reductions in crop yield and seed production.
Bulgarian agreements and National legislation
On 01.01.2000 three new Regulations of the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Ministry of Health, developing the air quality legislation, were enforced - Regulation No 7/99 on ambient air quality assessment and management, Regulation No 8/99 on ambient air quality limit values for ozone and Regulation No 9/99 on limit values for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter (PM10) and lead in the ambient air. These three regulations transpose the European environmental legislation in the field of ambient air quality, according to the following EU Directives - 96/62/EC, 92/72/EC, 99/30/EC.
State
In 2001 the monitoring stations did not record exceeding of the warning threshold (360mg/m3). Exceeding of the vegetation protection threshold (200 mg/m3) have been registered in three settlements. The maximum 1h concentration of ozone has been recorded in the towns of St. Zagora – 339mg/m3, Sofia - 333mg/m3 and Dimitrovgrad - 233 mg/m3.
Measures
On national level:
All Bulgarian engagements concerning emission reducing of NOx and hydrocarbons directly reflect to the ozone layer in the ambient air.
On local level:
The national monitoring and control system evaluates the Ambient Air Quality /AAQ/ in the country divided into regions for assessment and management.
According to Regulation No 7/99 on ambient air quality assessment and management, in the regions, where the concentrations of air pollutants exceed the limit values /LV/, programs should be elaborated for pollutant level decrease.
Last update on March 2003