Impact of Domestic Heating on Air Pollution—Extreme Pollution Events in Serbia

Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) is one of the leading health risks globally. Several European regions experience high PM concentrations due to the burning of fossil fuels for domestic heating. Accordingly, Serbia ranks among the countries with the highest levels of air pollution. The annual mean concentrations are the most common indicator in exposure studies. However, this study uses station data in Serbia to indicate the concentrations to which the population is exposed during the heating season (October–April) based on daily PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations from 2011 to 2022. In addition, events with concentrations above WHO-recommended daily upper limits (45 μg/m3 for PM10 and 15 μg/m3 for PM2.5) are classified by duration, intensity, and the cumulative sum of excess concentrations. The highest daily mean PM10 concentration in the heating season is 87.1 μg/m3, and for PM2.5, the highest concentration is 65.6 μg/m3 (up to three to four times more than in the rest of the year in both cases). During the most extreme events, mean daily PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were in the ranges of 150–200 μg/m3 and 100–150 μg/m3, respectively. The cumulative sum of excess concentration in the most extreme events reached up to ~7600 μg/m3 for PM10 and ~5000 μg/m3 for PM2.5. To better understand the problem, the share of occupied dwellings with heating installations and prevailing types of fuels were explored on the municipal level. In general, in most municipalities in Serbia, the share of dwellings with heating installations is up to 60%. Among those, dwellings with district heating dominate, while only a small number of them have a significant share of central heating. When it comes to fuel types, wood is primarily used in dwellings with district heating or without heating installations. These findings imply directions for the development of air quality planning and management policies. © 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.