Veneto, with lockdown less nitrogen dioxide and Pm10

The lockdown due to the Cornavirus emergency from 1 March to 31 May has resulted in a saving in the emission of approximately 5,000 tons of nitrogen dioxide and about 150 tons of fine particles Pm10, equivalent to 28% and 5% of emissions that would have occurred under normal conditions.

The data emerges from the new report of the Regional Environment Agency (Arpav) updated on 31 May on the effects on air quality of the measures for the Covid-19 emergency in Veneto.

The evaluation was carried out by analyzing the concentrations of pollutants from Arpav monitoring stations; the estimate of changes in the polluting emissions of the sectors affected by the restrictions; the analysis of the concentrations estimated by the "Spiair" model system, used in Arpav for the forecast and evaluation of air pollution.

The reduction - underlines the Agency - is clearly visible for the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide during phases 1 and 2, compared to the average of the previous four years. As for Pm10, the evaluation of the effect of lockdown on concentrations of fine particles is more difficult due to its composition. The phenomena that occur in the atmosphere and that lead to the formation of Pm10 are manifold and complex and weather conditions often play a predominant role in determining variations, both seasonal and daily, of the concentrations of this pollutant.