Air quality in Leipzig: fine dust values ​​endanger health!

Air quality in Leipzig: fine dust values ​​endanger health!

Air quality in Leipzig remains a central topic for the health of citizens. On May 26, 2025, the measuring station in Leipzig-Mitte recorded decisive values ​​on the current state of air. The fine dust particles (PM10) are particularly important, since the limit for their concentration is 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air. This limit may only be exceeded 35 times a year to minimize health risks. Data on these pollutants can be found in the dashboard for air quality on opendata.leipzig.de.

The air quality is not only monitored on the basis of the fine dust, but also by ozone and nitrogen dioxide. Experts have defined clear limit values: values ​​above 100 μg/m³ for fine dust or 240 μg/m³ for ozone are to be classified as "very bad", while a "bad" air quality with fine dust values ​​between 51 and 100 μg/m³ and ozone values ​​are between 181 and 240 μg/m³. These values ​​can have a significant impact on health, since around 240,000 premature deaths are caused by fine dust in the EU, such as the LVZ reports.

health effects and recommendations for action

The effects of poor air quality are far -reaching. In the case of "very bad" air quality, it is recommended that sensitive people avoid physical exertion outdoors. With “poor” air quality, less sensitive people should be more careful. In the "moderate" category, short -term negative effects are unlikely, but long -term problems can occur. With "good" and "very good" air quality, no health -related effects can be expected.

Air quality in urban areas such as Leipzig is often worse than in rural regions. People who live in metropolitan areas are exposed to higher fine dust concentrations. In order to meet these challenges, Leipzig offers a dashboard-oriented system-oriented information system to Here, citizens can pursue the development of air quality that are presented in hour, daily, month and annual values.

causes of air pollution and statistics

An essential aspect of air pollution in Germany are nitrogen oxide emissions that are mainly caused by traffic. According to information from Goclimate.de, statistics show that the NOx emissions have decreased from 2005 to 2019, but hardly made any progress in other areas. Despite improvements in some cities such as Munich and Cologne, the situation remains critical in many metropolitan areas, and the air quality is problematic for 85% of city dwellers.

The continuous observation and improvement of air quality is essential for health. Fine dust, which comes from both natural and anthropogenic sources, requires comprehensive measures and awareness among the population to reduce the air pollution in the long term.