Cluj-Napoca tops the list of cities with best air quality in Europe

Cluj-Napoca has the best air quality in Europe, according to a ranking published by French magazine “We Demain” that includes 100 biggest European cities. The ranking was determined based on the number of days in 2011 when the quantity of harmful particles in the air exceeded recommended levels..

“We Demain” looked at the levels of PM10 particles (fine particles with a diameter less than 10 microns), nitrogen dioxides and ozone in the air.

According to the ranking, the level of air pollution in Cluj-Napoca is so low, it never exceeded the recommended levels (just like in the case of Scottish city Edinburgh). On the other hand, French media informs that the Transylvanian city has only two air pollution sensors that don’t even register fine particles in the air. This may be an explanation for Cluj’s high ranking given that most of the “breathable” air seems to be found in Northern and UK cities, Cluj-Napoca being an exception.

Bucharest and Timisoara are also included in the top: the Romanian Capital is 66th (86 days when air pollution exceeded recommendations) and Timisoara is 60th (64 days).

In many European cities, air quality is a concern and it is therefore monitored around the clock. In most cities, industrial air pollution is, or tends to be replaced by traffic related air pollution. Air quality is therefore a common problem to almost all major cities.

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Top 10 best European Cities for Air Quality
1. Cluj-Napoca
2. Edinburgh
3. Coventry
4. Cardiff
5. Manchester
6. Tallinn
7. Leicester
8. Liverpool
9. Palma de Mallorca
10. Bonn

Top 10 worst European Cities for Air Quality
10. Turin
9. Madrid
8. Plovdiv
7. Marseille
6. Krakow
5. Milan
4. Sofia
3. Bradford
2. Hanovver
1. Bochum

Source: We Demain (Click to enlarge)