Extending the use of air quality indices to reflect effective population exposure.

Although there are tendencies to develop a single common index which would describe an overall air quality status within an area, constructed from a choice of measurements of individual pollutants, indices describing individual pollutants themselves have several potentials which can be used in ways which are not possible with pollutant concentrations. On the case of Belgrade, Serbia, we investigated possibilities of using such indices for comparisons between pollutants, characterization of monitoring sites, and extending their use to include elements of population exposure. A methodology of adjusting the results obtained at monitoring stations located in severe pollution conditions, like street canyons, is proposed and used.

Determination of O(3), NO (2), SO (2), CO and PM (10) measured in Belgrade urban area.

O(3), NO(2), SO(2), CO and PM(10) concentrations, simultaneously determined for the first time in Belgrade urban area in the autumnal period of 2005, are presented. The obtained results display similar behaviour of SO(2), NO(2), CO, PM(10) opposite from that of O(3). The weekend effect was also investigated showing diminution of average daily concentrations of SO(2), NO(2), PM(10) and CO for 72, 40, 37 and 42% respectively, and increase of the average daily concentration of O(3) for 56%.