October the 31st, 2021 - I live on the 18th floor of one of Zagreb's tallest buildings, and the fog yesterday morning made it seem as if I had woken up in the sky. You couldn't see anything and there's otherwise a pretty spectacular view over the city. Even the main road below was invisible, as were the cars even with their headlights shining bright. Zagreb air is, for those of us who live here, far from the best, and the Croatian capital keeps turning up on unenviable lists because of it.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, on the 29th of October, Zagreb was one of the ten cities with the worst quality air, the Swiss portal IQAir published, which publishes data on air quality around the world, Jutarnji list reported on Saturday.

Moreover, on the aforementioned date at eight in the morning, Zagreb was among the three most polluted cities in the entire world, along with the likes of Pakistan's Lahore and India's Delhi, dropping back down to sixth place during the day, which still isn't much to boast about.

The AQI air quality index on the aforementioned date at eight in the morning in our capital was 169, and at noon 153, which is considered unhealthy air for vulnerable populations.

“Current data in the City of Zagreb has shown occasional exceedances of daily limit values ​​of PM10 at the measuring station ZG-3 over the last few days, but for the overall assessment of pollution (quality categorisation) it's necessary to observe the whole year. Increased concentrations of suspended particles, as well as their occasional exceedances mainly occur during the winter months, ie the appearance of meteorological conditions suitable for retaining suspended particles (especially fog, no wind, etc.) and the beginning of the season for central heating being turned on.

Household fireplaces and traffic play a significant role in the pollution of suspended particles (PM10, PM2.5), but this situation is common in colder weather. The increase in the concentration of suspended particles in the City of Zagreb is also influenced by a phenomenon known as temperature inversion, ie an increase in temperature with altitude,'' they said the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development to Jutarnji list.

From the Dr. Andrija Stampar Institute, also based in Zagreb, they advised that people try to avoid engaging in long-term and intensive physical activity outdoors, especially along roads. This referred primarily to vulnerable groups of people, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those suffering from chronic diseases of the respiratory and/or cardiovascular system, reports Jutarnji list.

Despite the Zagreb air being a bit less than ideal right now, why not check out Zagreb in a Page to see how you can pass the time in this bustling city? Make sure to select your preferred language from our drop-down list if English isn't desired.

October the 21st, 2021 - The Croatian capital city of Zagreb was unfortunately listed among the world's most heavily polluted cities this week, more precisely on the 19th of October.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, earlier this week on the above-specified date, we, the citizens of Zagreb, weren't really able to ''enjoy'' the fresh air. The Croatian capital city has had its air quality scrutinised and complained about several times in the past, but this week it found itself among the ten most polluted in the entire world and considered unhealthy for vulnerable groups, according to data from the Swiss portal IQAir, which publishes daily data on air quality around the world.

IQAir units show that the concentration of PM 2.5 particles in the City of Zagreb was elevated by as many as 4.4 times higher than what is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

PM2.5 are particles made up of a combination of solid and liquid which is floating in the air, they're microscopic and as such completely impossible to see with the naked eye. They are the result of the burning of solid fuels and exhaust gases.

On that infamous scale, the Croatian capital city of Zagreb came in a not particularly impressive eighth place, Sarajevo in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina came ninth, while the Serbian capital of Belgrade took tenth place. The worst situation was found in Lima in Peru, Bishekek in Kyrgyzstan and, rather unironically, Wuhan in China. It is expected that in the coming days the air quality in Zagreb should be much better.

What about the air quality at the Croatian level?

The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development regularly publishes the state of Croatian air quality on its website, and on the same day the Croatian capital city was listed among the worst in the world, the worst air quality on that same date was recorded in Zagreb, Koprivnica and Slavonski Brod, according to a report from Vecernji list.

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