Air Quality

The quality of air in urban centers has been monitored for more than 20 years. This monitoring is carried out by the Republican Hydrometeorological Institute on the basis of separate Programme, adopted and financed by the Government. This Programme specifies the manner of monitoring and examination of the air quality, by monitoring the concentrations of polluting substances in the air in the lower atmosphere layer and their distribution in terms of time and space.

Mountain Motif

The legal provision for air pollution monitoring is contained in the Law on Air Protection and recommendations of the European Community Directive (80/779/EEC). The Law is accompanied by several regulations, defining the organization of this activity in more details. According to this Law, maximum permissible concentrations of polluting substances in urban centers are determined with regard to 13 compounds. However, only those compounds that are most frequently present in urban areas are monitored on regular basis. These are:

  • sulfur dioxide (SO2);
  • smoke (suspended substances);
  • nitrogen oxides (NOx);
  • total oxidants with low layer ozone (O3);
  • chemism of precipitation; and
  • air radioactivity.

The state of the air pollution has been monitored since 1973, and measuring network comprises 20 measuring stations. All of these measuring stations monitor the concentrations of sulfur dioxide and smoke, and the concentration of nitrogen oxides and total oxidants is monitored only at one measuring station in Skopje. At the measuring station in Lazaropole, which is connected to the EMEP and BAPMON measuring networks, parameters specified in the programmes are being monitored (sulfur dioxide, smoke, nitrogen oxides, total oxidants with low layer ozone, chemism of precipitation, and air radioactivity). In addition, this measuring station and the measuring station in Berovo monitor radioactivity of the air, precipitation and soil.

Measuring methodology

Sulfur dioxide is measured by West-Gek method, the smoke by the standard British reflection-measuring method, nitrogen oxides by spectrophotometric sulfuranilamid method, and total oxidants by potassium-iodine method.

Maximum permissible concentrations (MPC)

According to the positive legal regulations, the standards applied for individual pollutants are:

  • MPC - SO2=150 m g/m3

  • MPC - smoke=50 m g/m3

  • MPC - NOx=85 m g/m3

  • MPC - total oxidants=125 m g/m3

Results are presented as average 24-hours concentrations of polluting substances.

Analysis of results

The results from measuring carried out in 1997 show that highest concentrations of polluting substances have been registered in Skopje and Veles. These cities have had the highest number of days with concentrations above maximum permissible value, while maximum registered concentrations exceeded the maximum permissible values for 3,3 times in the case of sulfur dioxide. Compared with the European Community Directive (80/779/EEC), the values of 24-hours concentrations of sulfur dioxide have not exceeded the maximum permissible values at no place in the Republic. Concentrations of smoke have been highest in Skopje, Tetovo, Veles and Prilep. Compared with the standards of the European Union, highest concentrations have been registered in the above mentioned cities. Concentrations of NOx have been lower than maximum permissible ones, according to the national standards, with both measuring stations in which they are monitored. The same conclusion can be made with reference to total oxidants.

The analysis of the results obtained from the measuring of concentrations of polluting substances shows that the air pollution in the Republic of Macedonia is of seasonal nature and highest concentrations have been registered only with the smoke, due to the intensive use of fossil fuels in this period of the year.

Air Standards
 

Harmful substances

Maximal allowed concentrations in mg/m3

Maximal single

Maximal mean daily

1

 Sulfur dioxide

0.5

0.15

2

 Sulfuric acid per mol. Of H2SO4 per hydro ion

0.3

0.006

0.1

0.002

3

 Fume

0.15

0.05

4

 Lead and its compounds (except tetra ethyl lead)

/

0.0007

5

 Lead sulfride

/

0.0017

6

 Arsine (inorganic compounds), except arsine hydrogen estimated as arsine

/

0.003

7

 Carbon disulfide

0.03

0.01

8

 Carbon monoxide

3.0

1.0

9

 Nitrogen dioxide NO2

0.085

0.085

10

 Fluorine compounds (estimated as fluorine) in gas condition (H2S4)

0.02

0.005

11

 Oxidants

0.125

/

12

 Hydrocarbons (corrected for methane)

0.125

/

13

 Ashes and inert dust up to 300 mg/m3 daily

/

/

 

 

Dame Gruev 14, 91000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
E-mail: gjorgeva@unet.com. mk