Exposure to particulate matter (i56)

Definition: the exposure to particulate matter (PM2,5) concerns the concentration of particles with a diameter of less than 2.5µm, expressed in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). Those particles mainly come from combustion processes (heating of buildings, motors etc.) and in certain industrial and agricultural activities. Due to the higher concentration of this type of activities in urban areas, the concentrations are measured there in greater numbers, but measurements are also taken in rural areas. In order to calculate this indicator, the measured concentrations are adjusted based on the population. The Belgian data (including regional) are compiled by the Interregional Cell for the Environment (www.irceline.be) which performs a weighting of the observations from the measuring stations. For EU countries, the European Environment Agency (EEA) collects these data and uses its own weightings, which are slightly different from those used by the Interregional Environment Cell.