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Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a carcinogenic pollutant emitted mainly from the combustion of coal and wood for heating and, to a lesser extent, from industrial installations and the combustion of agricultural waste (EEA, 2024b).
The highest concentrations were found in eastern Europe, where the use of coal and other solid fuels for residential heating is still common; and in Italy, mainly due to the use of wood and wood derivatives for residential heating (Map 5 and Figure 11).
No BaP data are presented for 2024 because monitoring is based on manual sampling, and therefore it is not included in the UTD reporting (see the Annex on methodological approaches).
Map 5. Concentrations of BaP in 2023
Country status for BaP in 2023: Nine out of 28 reporting countries (EU-27 plus Norway), all of which were EU Member States, registered values above 1.0ng/m3. Concentrations above 1.0ng/m3 were registered at 18% of the reported monitoring stations, the majority of which were urban (81%) or suburban (16%). In addition to data collected from monitoring stations, countries can also use modelling applications to assess compliance with the standards. Greece and Poland reported exceedances of the BaP target value for one and twenty air quality zones, respectively, based on assessment models.
Figure 11. BaP concentrations in 2023 by country