How to engage in public monitoring of atmospheric air pollution

Why do we need to think about air quality?

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 7 million people a year die prematurely from air pollution. It is associated with coronary heart disease and stroke, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. In children, these are asthma and respiratory infections.

In Hungary, only according to official data, atmospheric air pollution leads to the premature death of 13.000 people. Most often the direct cause is cardiovascular disease (2.14 per 100 thousand people). In other cases, these are diseases of the respiratory system, digestion and cancer.

What pollutes the air?

Gases: ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (no₂) sulfur dioxide (so₂), carbon monoxide (CO),
carbon dioxide (CO₂);
Heavy metals: Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), zinc (Zn);
Organochlorine pesticides;
Hydrocarbons (HC), especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Fine particles PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and PM₁ - dust particles with a diameter of 2.5 and 10, 2.5 and 1.0 microns (micrometres), respectively. For comparison, the diameter of a human hair is 50-100 microns.
Ultrafine particles ( «PM0.1) enter the bloodstream unhindered.

Fine particles, unlike gases and larger particles, do not settle but remain in the atmosphere for a long time. We inhale them, and they settle on the nasal mucosa. From there, the smallest particles can penetrate into the blood and through it into the internal organs.

In 2013, polluted atmospheric air and fine particles were classified by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as carcinogens.

Where the pollution comes from?

Based on statements of the European Environmental Agency, the main sources of air pollution in Hungary are:

(50-85%) Residential heating - Waste burning: Burning wood releases significant amounts of harmful substances into the air. It has been demonstrated that when solid wastes are burned in household stoves, a significantly higher quantity of respirable particulate matter (PM₁₀) and even more toxic chemicals are released into the air than by burning dry firewood. Recent years of research shows that PM₁₀ pollution contains 5% PM10 particles from waste burning.
It has been found that the burning of plastic wastes (such as PET bottles, polyfoam or clothing) releases up to 700 times (!) more toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the air compared to the otherwise also significant emissions from wood burning. (https://www.levego.hu/en/campaigns/waste-campaign/)
(15-25%)Transport The biggest cost of car use is not what motorists pay in fuel taxes and vehicle taxes, but the cost of the environmental and health damage that car use causes. Vehicle emissions affect most of the time the residents in cities. Especially harmful close to the road: people on their way as pedestrians, cyclists or even the ones using cars.
(20-30%) Industry, Energy and Agriculture
Industrial emissions are mainly taken into account in terms of climate protection, though their air pollutant impact is also significant, while almost all major construction projects (roads, housing estates, new housing estates) are major investments, the production of all the raw materials needed for them is given special consideration. Energy production pollution is currently decreasing, thanks to the phasing out of coal-fired power plants and the expansion of renewable energy. Nuclear energy, although it is said to be climate neutral, is by no means completely clean, with the construction, dismantling, transport and final (non-) disposal of fuel. Agriculture is also significant, especially in terms of nitrogen oxide emissions, but this is another sector in which the public has little say in everyday life.
(https://pm10.kormany.hu/download/6/80/22000/PM10%20beszámoló%202017_web.pdf)

Each of us can use less hydrocarbon-fueled vehicles, save energy, minimize waste, separate them and recycle them. But in order to solve the problem of air pollution, for example, by industrial enterprises, comprehensive measures are needed at the state level.

Why official measuring stations are not enough?

In Hungary, there are only 58 fixed official measuring stations, in Budapest 12.

Official stations perform the measurement on certain parameters according to EU standards (CO, CO₂ (only one station), NO/NO₂/NOx, O₃, SO₂, BTEX, PM) in an evolving system: some stations measure PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, some only PM₁₀ in terms of particulate matter. Information from them is not always publicly available and does not always reflect the real picture of air pollution.

First of all, air quality can vary every 20 metres, influenced by the presence of buildings and green vegetation. Air pollution from transport sources varies particularly rapidly with distance from the point of emission. Despite the strong dependence on location, only 58 monitoring stations are installed across the country, which can not give data for anyone about what air quality he/she is facing.

Secondly, some of the sensors are located in the "green" areas of the city (background pollution checking), and the streams of polluted air simply do not reach them.

The problem of air pollution is faced by people all over the world.

In 2015, the first citizen science air monitoring project appeared in Stuttgart (Germany) Luftdaten.info. Anyone could assemble a sensor worth about 50 euros and install it at home outside the window. Data from it was transmitted to the server and displayed on an interactive map.

The initiative quickly gained popularity and turned into a worldwide - sensor.community. Now there are more than 14 thousand residential air monitoring stations in the world and more than 200 in Hungary.

How does citizen science air quality monitoring work?

First, several enthusiasts install air pollution measuring sensors at home, the information from which is transmitted to an interactive online map and data storage. They create thematic communities on social networks, where they write about the problem and invite everyone to join. Interested people also install sensors at home. The public monitoring network is growing and gradually covers the entire city/ country.

However, if you only collect data on air pollution, the problem will not resolve itself. You will just know when it is better not to ventilate the room and not to go outside. But if we deal with the problem comprehensively, residential monitoring can become an effective tool.

It does not replace official state monitoring, but data from home stations can be transmitted to authorities and supervisory authorities and further - to demand the reform of industrial zones, modernization of polluting enterprises or their removal from the city, traffic reduction, the introduction of a low emission zone, elimination of residential incineration.

Add some info on the Measure with Us project or previous projects, which lead to the spread of public monitoring in Hungary.

Measure with us! - more than 200 devices in Hungary - let’s have full coverage to see what air quality we are exposed to: https://hungary.maps.sensor.community/#7/47.000/20.00

https://www.levego.hu/en/campaigns/clean-heating-for-the-healthy-living-lets-measure/

Experience in the city - mobile measuring: https://www.levego.hu/en/other/workshop-levegominoseg-seta-budapesten/
Previous citizen science project: https://www.lakossagimeresek.hu/en/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326150338_Optical_particulate_matter_sensors_in_PM_25_measurements_in_atmospheric_air

What you can do:

Distribute information.
The more people on your side, the easier it is to achieve results. Therefore, it is necessary to engage in education and create a public response around the topic of air pollution. And here the media and social networks help. https://qubit.hu/2020/01/24/a-maszek-merokutyuk-magyarorszagon-hitelesebb-adatokkal-szolgalhatnak-mint-a-hivatalos-levegominoseg-meresek
https://www.facebook.com/events/hősök-tere/levegőminőség-séta-a-levegő-munkacsoporttal/335314295071229/
Save nature around you social media group examples:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamzsabegi
https://www.facebook.com/groups/229105009347010

Purchase and install own measuring device.
Bring it to the countryside if possible, as fewer devices are to find there yet.
Use the data!
You can find open data from others measuring, so you can easily download it (use opensensemap.org) and make comparisons, analyses, nice visualisations. Any green NGO will give you a platform to show your results.

Home monitoring station - How to monitor the air quality yourself?

You can independently measure the concentration of fine particles in the air (PM2.5 and PM10). It shows how polluted the air is in general.

What is particulate matter (PM)?

Particulate matter consists of microscopic solid or liquid particles (aerosols) that are either emitted directly into the air or are formed by pollutants that combine in the atmosphere. Particulate matter is typically measured in three size units: PM10, PM2.5, and PM0.1.

The major sources of particle pollution in Hungarian cities are residential heating and transport. In many Russian cities, pollution from industry is also an important source.

PM10 or coarse dust particles are particles 10 micrometres in diameter or smaller. They are at least 50 times smaller than the width of a human hair and they can evade our protective nasal hairs and be inhaled into our lungs. Sources of PM10 are endowed with crushing/grinding functions, another source is dust picked up by vehicles. Dust, mould, and plant and insect particles are also considered PM10.

In the European Union, the daily limit value for PM10 in the ambient air is 50 µg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 35 times per calendar year. The permitted annual limit value is 40 µg/m3. The World Health Organization recommends that the annual limit value should be 20 µg/m3.

PM2.5 or fine particles have a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. Fine particulate sources are characteristic of all combustion, including in internal combustion engines of vehicles, power plants, wood burning, forest fires, agricultural waste incineration, and a number of industrial processes. While PM10 enters your lungs, PM2.5 is more dangerous because it can travel from your lungs into your bloodstream. From your bloodstream, it can go anywhere in your body and cause serious pathological changes.

In the EU, there is no official hourly or daily limit value for PM2.5; the annual limit value is 25 µg/m3. WHO recommends 25 µg/m3 as a daily limit value and 10 µg/m3 as an annual limit value.

PM1 is particulate matter less than 1 micron. It is a major component of PM2.5. They are extremely fine particles that are more likely to penetrate the human body deeper than PM2.5 and from there go to any organ. PM1 is caused mainly by emissions from residential heating, motor vehicles, construction work, and some factories.

PM0.1 is particulate matter less than 100 nanometres in diameter, nothing is an obstacle for it to reach any of the human organs and harm it.

The concentration of gases is much more difficult to measure: this requires expensive chemical sensors that need to be calibrated regularly.

How to assemble the station?

You can assemble the air monitoring station yourself and configure it so that the data is sent to a shared interactive map. In order to do that, you need to:

buy station components;
connect a particle sensor SDS 011 or an alternative sensor PMS5003;
connect the humidity, pressure and temperature sensor BME280;
flash and perform the initial setup of the station;
pack the components into the housing of the electrical box;
to display a station on the map, register it on one or more data storage servers.

Here is the instruction from sensor.community website.

Here are the steps in assembling the sensor (in Hungarian).

Even a video you will find here about the assembling. Extra video about the metnet.hu setup.

If you are not sure that you will do everything right, come to a free master class from the initiators of public monitoring and assemble your station under their guidance or ask an expert (levego@levego.hu).

Activists registration: https://www.levego.hu/en/other/lakossagi-meresek-regisztracio/

Where to place the station

Install a ready-made home monitoring station outside the window in a place where:

minimum barriers to atmospheric air access (no balcony windows, mosquito nets, etc.);
no local distorting factors (a regularly smoking neighbour or smoke from a kebab shop around the corner);
there is stable wi-fi and power supply.

Home Station Restrictions

The indicators of your sensor are not the ultimate truth. Sometimes they can go off-scale due to local influences. For example, there is smoking under your window on the first floor. Or clouds float past your house on the 20th floor, and the sensor catches droplets of steam. Only a network of sensors installed in one area adequately displays the level of air pollution. Therefore, it is important to look for like-minded people and involve them in the activity.

Public monitoring is not equivalent to state monitoring. Its data can be sent to the state environmental supervision authorities so that they carry out supervisory measures. But by themselves, these data cannot be the subject of a lawsuit or the basis for recovery of damage to health.

How to "read" a map

Online maps of public monitoring of air quality differ in nuances. For example, in sensor.community, sensors are depicted as coloured hexagons. By default, the map layer opens with data on the concentration of PM2.5. The colour means its degree: from green (within normal limits) to purple (life-threatening). When you click on the hexagon, a window opens where the sensor number and the exact data from it are indicated. If several sensors are installed side by side, the number and data from each and the average value are displayed.

On other layers of the map, the following are visible:

PM10 concentration;
official AQI US index*;
temperature;
humidity;
pressure;
noise.

* AQI US (Air quality index the US) – the air quality index according to the US standard. It takes into account five pollutants: ground-level ozone, fine particles, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. Indicators 0-50 – good air quality, above 300 - it is dangerous to breathe.

Other useful maps:

Opensensemap.org

Metnet.hu

airtube.info

What to do if the air quality is very bad?

Poor air quality can be caused by increased car traffic, industrial sources and waste burning, which is most common in the colder months. If you realise that the air quality parameters are very bad, the first thing to do is to close all the windows. Do not ventilate your home at that time, avoid all outdoor activities.

In an emergency situation (accident, fire), you should call the unified emergency number 112, the Ministry of Emergency Situations or the fire department.

If you have witnessed a violation (for example, the arson of an illegal landfill), contact the police.

If the pollution is constant or regular, you can contact several services (write a letter of complaint):

Template: https://www.levego.hu/tanacsado-iroda/formanyomtatvanyok/

Waste incineration

In the case of incineration, the first thing we usually suggest is to try to talk to the person, to make them aware that incineration is an offence, or to send them our "Don't Burn" leaflet:

https://www.levego.hu/site/assets/files/5029/egetesszoroanyag_2014_0.pdf

We know from experience that the quickest, most effective way to resolve this is through personal communication.

It may also be worthwhile to raise awareness of the problem with local residents, social media, local media, local government (either by sharing a picture of the smoke or the leaflet above). Local Facebook groups, petition drives, similar community coalitions can help a lot.

If face-to-face communication does not help, only then do we recommend contacting the authorities.

Government Decree 306/2010 on-air protection says that only commercially available fuels, household paper waste and untreated wood waste that is not considered hazardous should be burned in our stoves. Other materials, such as rubber, oily rags, used clothing, parquet, plastic bottles, furniture boards, treated wood, etc., must not be burnt! Violations of the law are punishable by a fine of up to 300,000 HUF, which can be imposed daily.

To complain:

private persons, or small industrial sources: to the regional district offices of government offices (as air protection authorities), and in Budapest to the district offices.
for companies/legal persons: the district offices of county government offices in the county capital (in Budapest and Pest County, the Pest County Government Office, Department of Environment, Nature Protection and Mining).

Be sure to make your complaint in writing (you can also send it by e-mail or e-paper), describing the problem in as much detail as possible (how often, at what times of day/hours, what type/colour of smoke you notice, whether you can see accumulated waste in your neighbour's yard, etc.). If possible, attach as much evidence as possible (e.g. police records (see below), photos and video footage with dates, and witnesses who also witness the smoking) and refer to them in your complaint.

The link below provides a sample form ("Report of Illegal Incineration") that you can use to draft your complaint:

https://www.levego.hu/tanacsado-iroda/formanyomtatvanyok/

Important: A decision to impose a fine in the air pollution control procedure is taken if there is a case of a red flag or if the procedure clearly establishes the irregularity and the identity of the offender. In order to ensure an effective procedure, the public can report the offence directly to the police 24 hours a day by calling 112, thus enabling the police to check the report immediately, even outside office hours, as this is when these offences are most often committed. Often, the district office also requests the assistance of the police. It is best to contact the District Commissioner with the report, who can be found at the District Office of the County Government Office in Budapest.

In our experience, it is usually helpful to phone the authority after a week or two after a complaint has been lodged with the authority to ask which case officer has been assigned to the case and what investigation or inspection is planned. We can also make this enquiry if you send us a copy of the complaint you have made.

If the above procedure fails, you can also start a possession procedure with the notary, where the notary can order a measure proportionate to the undue disturbance - see this link for more information:

http://kormanyablak.hu/hu/feladatkorok/27/JEGYZ00501

You may also be entitled to bring a civil action for the depreciation of the property: a damages action.

If you see waste accumulated on your neighbour's property for more than 1 year, that is also illegal, and if your neighbour brings you waste, that is also illegal:

In Hungary, it is against the law to accumulate, give away (even free of charge) waste of any kind for the purpose of burning. (Article 31 of the Waste Act) Such waste may only be handed over to a licensed waste management company! The Waste Act also prohibits (Waste Act § 12 (1)) the accumulation of waste from other people on your own property. Under Article 248 of the Penal Code: 'Any person who carries out waste management activities or other illegal activities with waste without a permit or in excess of the limits of the permit shall be punished by a term of imprisonment of up to three years for a criminal offence.

Raising awareness_waste incineration, heating:

"Don't burn!" leaflet
https://www.levego.hu/sites/default/files/kiadvanyok/egetesszoroanyag_2014_web_0.pdf

"Don't Burn!" - longer information leaflet:
https://www.levego.hu/sites/default/files/kiadvanyok/Ne_egesd_el_0.pdf

'Clean heating' leaflet on proper heating:
https://www.clean-heat.eu/en/actions/info-material/download/flyer-recommendations-for-consumers-hungarian-23.html

'Clean Heating' longer information leaflet:
http://www.clean-heat.eu/de/aktivitaeten/infomaterial/download/danish-case-study-hu-15.html

Poison heating against freezing?
https://www.levego.hu/tanulsagos-ugyek/mereggel-a-diderges-ellen

The composition of fibreboard furniture:
https://www.levego.hu/tevekenysegeink/belteri-levego/veszelyforrasok/a-butorzatban/

The Government Heating Smartly! Campaign - what not to burn? Briefly
http://www.futsokosankampany.hu/mit-ne-egessunk#tartalom

The health risks of illegal waste incineration - longer, in detail:
http://www.futsokosankampany.hu/uploads/download_category/documents/MuploadDocument_31/1_Tajekoztato_illegalis_hull_egetesrol_OKI_2016.pdf

Flyer on clean heating:
https://www.clean-heat.eu/en/actions/info-material/download/flyer-recommendations-for-consumers-hungarian-23.html

Clean heating:
https://www.levego.hu/kampanyok/tisztafutes/

Cleaner heating can save lives - article:
https://www.levego.hu/hirek/2016/11/eleteket-ment-a-tisztabb-futes/

The harms of burning plastic

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7562860_Combustion_Products_of_Plastics_as_Indicators_for_Refuse_Burning_in_the_Atmosphere

https://levegomunkacsoport.blog.hu/2020/07/20/egy_uj_kutatas_szerint_a_lakossagi_hulladekegetes_ezerszer_mergezobb_lehet_mint_a_tuzifa_elegetese

https://pm10.kormany.hu/hasznos-linkek

For waste advertisers:

Dear Advertiser!

It is against the law in Hungary to advertise any kind of waste for combustion (even free of charge)! (Article 31 of the Waste Act) Such waste may only be handed over to a licensed waste management company! The Waste Act also prohibits (Waste Act § 12 (1)) the accumulation of waste from other people on your own property. Under Article 248 of the Penal Code: 'Any person who carries out waste management activities or other illegal activities with waste without a permit or in excess of the limits of the permit shall be punished by a term of imprisonment of up to three years for a criminal offence.

During the heating season, the burning of window frames, furniture boards, plastics, oily rags and other waste is commonplace and poses huge health risks, directly releasing carcinogenic, toxic gases and solid particles into the air, which cause fetal genetic damage and other diseases. It is also illegal to burn such materials, according to Article 27(1) of the Government Decree on Air Protection, "It is prohibited to burn waste in open spaces or in equipment that does not comply with the provisions of the law laying down the conditions for burning waste, except for the burning of household waste paper and untreated wood waste that is not classified as hazardous in household equipment." Violators may be subject to fines of up to HUF 300,000 per case by the competent district/district office.

In the letter of complaint you should mention:

(maybe we can also add that people can also contact the NGOs in case of having any complaint related to the poor quality, so the NGO would investigate the case?)

Laws to refer to:
Government Decree 306/2010 on-air protection

Article 31 of the Waste Act

Waste Act § 12 (1)

Article 27(1)

Article 248 of the Penal Code

Success stories

Ban on the leaf-litter burning in Göd

Suffering from smoke caused by burning leaf litter, residents of Göd have joined forces, gathered a Facebook group and decided to step up in order to live a healthy life. Clean Air Action Group was invited to measure and evaluate the air pollution that the burning of leaf-litter causes in Göd.

The measurements proved that pollution is seriously harmful to health. Based on the results of the Clean Air Action Group's report, the mayor of Göd immediately called an extraordinary city council meeting to ban the leaf-litter burning in the town.

https://www.levego.hu/en/news/burning-leaf-litter-was-banned-immediately-based-on-clean-air-action-groups/

Outcomes of the project “Citizen Science to Improve Air Quality”

In 2020 CAAG conducted a project “Citizen Science to Improve Air Quality”, during which they were measuring air quality in places, where children spend lots of time. Also, they were distributing the use of mobile measuring devices Atmotube among parents.

One family, after conducting an indoor measurement, decided to change their furniture, as it was a cause of high VOC indicator.

Mérj velünk! (Measure with us!) https://merj-velunk.hu
Measuring air pollution can be an important awareness-raising tool because it brings information close to people, even inside their homes.
We encourage people to buy a device that can be assembled at home using components recommended by the German Sensor Community.

Morgan Stanley purchased 38 devices for their workers: Cooperation with Morgan Stanley as they ordered 38 devices for their employees and let us present 2 assembly workshops

Kindergartens in XI. district: 10 kindergartens received air quality measuring devices from CAAG after the organisation was funded by the district for that. https://www.levego.hu/kampanyok/levegominoseg-meres-ujbudan/

Mérj a játszótereken - a tiszta levegőért: different types of devices but mobile measuring practice by citizens all around Budapest. https://www.lakossagimeresek.hu/en/

Background information

What concentrations of harmful substances in the air are dangerous? http://levegominoseg.hu/hatarertek

Official air quality measuring stations: http://www.levegominoseg.hu/automata-merohalozat

Where can I find official data on the state of the air in Hungary?

http://levegominoseg.hu/hatarertek

References

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58657224

https://world-heart-federation.org/news/air-pollution-and-cardiovascular-disease-a-window-of-opportunity/

https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/country-fact-sheets/2021-country-fact-sheets/hungary

https://pm10.kormany.hu/download/6/80/22000/PM10%20besz

https://luftdaten.info/

https://sensor.community/en/