Overview of Air Pollution Assessment in Northern Europe (Lithuania) by Passive Diffusion Sampling

摘要

The regional air pollution study in Lithuania provided a comprehensive overview of air quality in Lithuania (in Vilnius (capital) and rest of territory) when 375 monitoring sites at different representative locations (urban, suburban, and residential) were equipped with diffusion samplers. The samples were analyzed for sulfur dioxide (SO_2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO_2) concentration. The measurement results show that the mean concentrations of SO_2 in all investigation sites during the study period did not exceed the annual limit value of 20.0 μg·m~(-3) and were below the lower assessment threshold value of 8.0 μg·m~(-3). The mean concentrations of NO_2 in Vilnius agglomeration exceeded the annual limit value of 40 μg·m~(-3) at seven sites and in zone-at three sites with the intensive traffic flow, located near to highway. Comparison of SO_2 and NO_2 concentration levels was performed for 2004-2005 and 2010-2011. The level of nitrogen dioxide concentrations has decreased by 34, 26, 24, and 49% during the next six years in the city of Vilnius, and the concentration of SO_2 in the air environment decreased by 40-60%.