Ukraine has adopted new regulations for informing citizens about air quality. These regulations outline a list of pollutants and their levels for assessing air quality.
The relevant order (No. 590 dated March 24, 2025) has been registered with the Ministry of Justice, as reported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
"This is a significant step towards improving public access to air quality information in Ukraine in a user-friendly format", – emphasized the ministry.
The document establishes:
- a list of pollutants to be evaluated;
- levels of these substances for determining air quality;
- color and textual indicators of the index;
- recommendations for the public.
The air quality index for any pollutant can be categorized as:
- "Critically Bad";
- "Bad";
- "Unsatisfactory";
- "Satisfactory";
- "Acceptable";
- "Good".
"The concentration ranges for the quality index are determined based on normative values and WHO recommendations regarding air quality, as well as the European quality index.
The regulations were developed considering the standards of the European air quality index published on the European Environment Agency's official website", – stated the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
It is worth noting that in February, a systematic deterioration of air quality was recorded in Kyiv. Residents were advised to stay indoors and keep windows closed.
Later, it became known that the accumulation of pollutants in the air was facilitated by weather conditions, particularly a lack of precipitation and low wind speed.