It is well known that air pollution has a negative impact on human health. Research has shown an increasing trend in hospital admissions due to respiratory and heart diseases during and after consecutive days of high or even medium air pollution levels. The objective of this paper is to provide quantitative and qualitative data concerning the impact of long-term air pollution on the health of residents living in the Greater Athens Area (GAA). More accurately, the prevalence of bronchitis in children and the incidence of chronic bronchitis cases in adults due to particulate matter exposure are estimated utilizing the AirQ+ model. For this purpose, daily average concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm (PM₁₀) from five different locations within the GAA, covering the period 2001–2020, are used. The results show a significant correlation between PM₁₀ concentrations and adverse health effects (R² = 0.9). Interestingly, there were more cases of children suffering from bronchitis disease than cases of adults. In addition, it was observed that the unhealthiest areas in the GAA are the center of Athens city (mean annual PM₁₀ concentration in 2019: 36 μgr/m³), as well as suburban areas (Lykovrissi and Marousi: mean annual PM₁₀ concentrations in 2019 were 27 μgr/m³ and 28 μgr/m³, respectively). Finally, a decreasing trend for both PM₁₀ concentrations and the prevalence of chronic bronchitis across the GAA was observed through the examined 20 years, which was significantly higher over the period 2010–2020.

This work investigates the spatiotemporal variation of suspended particles with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm (PM₁₀) during a nineteen years period. Mean daily PM₁₀ concentrations between 2001 and 2018, from five monitoring stations within the greater Athens area (GAA) are used. The aim is to investigate the impact of the economic crisis and the actions taken by the Greek state over the past decade on the distribution of PM₁₀ within the GAA. Seasonality, intraweek, intraday and spatial variations of the PM₁₀ concentrations as well as trends of data, are statistically studied. The work may assist the formation of PM₁₀ forecasting models of hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and annual horizon. Innovations are alternative ways of statistical treatment and the extended period of data, which, importantly, includes major economic and social events for the GAA. Significant decreasing trend in PM₁₀ series concentrations at all examined stations were found. This may be due to economic and social reasons but also due to measures taken by the state so as to be harmonised with the European Directives concerning the protection of public health and the atmospheric environment of the European Union (EU) members.

The Greater Athens Area (GAA), situated in the southern part of the European continent (in Greece), has a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. As a result of increased sunshine and high temperatures, exceedances in ozone concentrations are often recorded during the hot period. In the present study, the monthly as well as daily variations of O₃ concentrations at thirteen stations in the GAA were investigated for the period 1987–2019. Moreover, the impact of O₃ on the people’s health in Greece was examined by using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study with the socio-economic conditions of the country. Ozone concentrations were found to be particularly high during the summer months, especially in suburban stations. Values ranged from 65 μg/m³ to 90 μg/m³ during the night, in contrast to urban areas and remain high for several hours. Comparing estimates from GBD, it was found that exposure to ozone can impair respiratory function, leading to death or susceptibility to respiratory diseases that reduce quality of life, especially for people over 55 years of age. Finally, since 2009, when the economic crisis began in Greece, an upward trend was observed for deaths and disability adjusted life years.

Ozone is formed in the lower layers of the atmosphere mainly by gases emitted by anthropogenic activities in combination with solar radiation. In the present study, the short-term health impacts of ozone (O₃) on people living in the Greater Athens Area in Greece are analyzed for the period 2001–2018 by estimating the cardiorespiratory deaths with the AirQ+ model. Ozone measurements (8-h mean values) for two areas with different characteristics (Thrakomakedones and Athinas) were used provided by the National Air Pollution Monitoring Network. Data processing showed that environmental conditions and geographical characteristics influence O₃ variation and the risk of cardiorespiratory deaths. The statistical analysis of O₃ measurements revealed that at the southwestern suburb of Thrakomakedones the mean annual concentrations range from 74 to 96 μgr/m³, much higher than in the Athens center (40–56 μgr/m³, station: Athinas). Τhe O₃ concentration threshold was exceeded in Thrakomakedones approximately 90 times per year, while in the Athinas monitoring station, it was exceeded only 25 times. According to the AirQ+ software package, the percentage of deaths due to O₃ exposure ranges from 6% in Thrakomakedones to 7.5% in the Athinas station.

This study investigates the variations in the PM_2.5 particles in a baghouse filter unit under variable airflow conditions. PM_2.5 emissions originate from the insect repellents commonly used in homes during warmer months, potentially affecting human health. Three low-cost sensors were installed at the entry, middle, and exit of the filter unit to measure the particle concentrations. Various filter combinations were tested. The findings revealed that using all filters achieved complete PM_2.5 retention, while reduced filter setups led to only a partial reduction. These results offer useful insights for optimizing the design and performance of air filtration systems.

In urban areas, people live under poor air quality conditions since exceedances in limit concentrations set by the European Union are usually recorded. In port cities, air quality is further deteriorated due to emissions from port activities. This work investigates the variation in fine Particulate Matter (PM_2.5) through the recordings of PurpleAir low-cost sensors in Aarhus, Hamburg, and Lisbon, which are in northern, central, and southern Europe, respectively, for the period of 2020–2022. Moreover, the calculation of the Intake Dose (ID) was attempted for active population groups of men and women aged from 21 to 61 years old. The results showed that the male population groups of active working ages generally inhale higher amounts of particulate matters.