HOW DO DIFFERENT SOURCES CONTRIBUTE TO POPULATION EXPOSURE TO KEY AIR POLLUTANTS IN BULGARIA

Abstract

Air pollution is an important risk factor that has a significant impact on public health, especially in urban areas. The study aims to analyse the air pollution in Bulgaria and the main sources of pollution. Descriptive epidemiologic study design has been used to analyse the trends in air pollution in Bulgaria. Available data from the world and national databases were used. The data provided by EEA show that fewer and fewer Bulgarians live in areas with concentrations higher than European standards, but the proportion of the population exposed to air pollution is still quite high. The trend is to decrease the proportion of the Bulgarian population using solid fuel but still, it is five times higher than European Union. In Bulgaria Agriculture is a serious source of PM as ammonia can be a reason for the formation of secondary particulates. Energy and transport are the biggest cause of air pollution in cities but the agricultural sector is also a significant source. The comparative analysis of leading causes of years of life lost due to premature death or disability, expressed with Disability-adjusted live years (DALY) between 2009 and 2019 shows a slight improvement - the air pollution changes its position and falls to the eighth place among the tenth leading risk factors. Reducing the burden of disease due to poor air quality is an important goal for Bulgaria to achieve.