Croatia Denmark Greece India Turkey O. Hertel National Environmental Research Institute, Department of Atmospheric Environment Denmark is situated in Northern Europe in a generally cool, windy, and moist coastal climate. Air pollution levels are usually moderate compared with Southern and Eastern Europe, which have higher emission densities and more intense photochemical activity. However, the environmental impact of air pollution still gives rise to concern, principally because of health effects owing to human exposure to fine and ultrafine particles. Other issues include nitrogen deposition that contributes to eutrophication of coastal waters, damage to sensitive terrestrial ecosystems owing to atmospheric deposition of nutrients and acidifying compounds, and ozone stress. NERI is responsible for operating the program together with the Agency of Environmental Protection of Copenhagen, the Environmental and Food Control Agency of Funen, and the Department for the Environment and Urban Affairs of Aalborg.
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Various actions have had a pronounced positive effect on urban air quality in Danish cities. Lead pollution has been reduced by a factor of about 50 since 1982 as a result of the removal of lead from gasoline. Ambient ozone is mainly a result of long-range transport from Central and Eastern Europe, and local emission reduction strategies have, therefore, had only limited effect on NO 2 concentrations in streets in Danish cities. 1 Concentrations of nitrogen oxides at Danish Urban Air Quality stations from 1982 to 1999. There are indications, however, that health effects may be related to fine and ultrafine particles rather than to particle mass.