As part of the CurieuzenAir project, air quality measurements were taken for four weeks last autumn at 3,000 locations in the Brussels region. The concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), an important indicator of air pollution from traffic, was examined. This research has now resulted in an interactive map on which the air quality in Brussels can be read.
This shows that the air quality is still good in large parts of the capital region. The average value is 24 micrograms of NO2 per cubic meter of air. That is clearly less than the EU limit value of 40 micrograms/m³.
However, this standard is exceeded at 1.4 percent of the locations. This means that almost 17,000 Brussels residents breathe unhealthy air. The air quality is poor in areas such as the inner ring road and other major traffic axes.
The air quality appears to be good, especially in more residential, wealthier neighborhoods in Uccle, Oudergem or Watermaal-Bosvoorde. The best Brussels air can be found in the Sonian Forest, with a value of 6.51 micrograms/m³.