Sustainable clean air policy is indispensable for protecting the health of humans, animals and plants as well as their habitats from long-term damage. So that particulate matter pollution, above all, can be reduced successfully, a variety of measures is required, especially in the transport sector, in industry and trade. Despite progress in vehicle exhaust technology, threshold values in the vicinity of roads are still exceeded today as a result of the constantly increasing volume of traffic.
Wood, being a CO2 neutral source of energy, makes an important contribution to climate protection. An important prerequisite in this respect is the low-pollution firing of wood and the avoidance of improper operation.
The air quality in Austria has significantly improved in Austria in the course of the past few years. However, as far as particular matter is concerned, it happens that in individual cases, with particular weather conditions (in particular atmospheric inversion in winter) the particular matter PM10 EU threshold level calculated on a daily basis is exceeded, where unfavourable dispersion conditions aggravate the situation. The sources of particular matter are in this context first and foremost domestic heating and transport.
Being a trace gas, ozone is a natural component of the atmosphere. In the ground-level air layer, it is formed under sun radiation from the so-called ozone precursors.
Pollution by particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) is the environmental factor with the greatest negative impact on human health. The effects range from respiratory ailments to lung cancer. The main pollutants are industry, small-scale furnaces, traffic and agriculture.
The Air Pollution Control Act is the central law for keeping the air clean, for air pollution control in Austria as well as for the implementation of relevant EU Directives.
Science divides sunlight into different wavelength sections. In this respect, the short-wave energy-rich ultraviolet radiation has the most severe effect on human health.
The UV index as a measure for health-relevant UV radiation is measured by order of the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism on measuring sites which are representative for Austria.