According to data collated by the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Torrevieja is one of the worst towns in the province in terms of air quality. Orihuela, on the other hand, has one of the best scores.
The Air Quality Index is measured with factors including particles, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide, and others, and from all the indices calculated for each of the pollutants, the one with the most unfavourable value is selected, and it is precisely this value that is taken as the air quality index at the time of the study.
After analysing the different polluting parameters in several locations throughout the Alicante province, Torrevieja, along with Elda, are the municipalities with the worst air quality in the entire province.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality.
Torrevieja had a score of 79 while in Elda it was 52. In both cases, the air quality is acceptable, although there may be moderate health concerns for a small part of the population such as people who are sensitive to ozone, who may experience symptoms of a respiratory condition.
In addition to AQI, the term fine particles, or particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), refers to tiny particles or droplets in the air that are two and a half microns or less in width. PM2.5 concentration in Torrevieja is currently 6.2 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value.
Another of the conclusions that can be drawn from the measurement is that Orihuela is the municipality with the best air quality in the entire province of Alicante. There the values reached by the polluting agents reach the lowest index of all the measurement stations placed by the Alicante geography.
In Orihuela and Elche, Alicante, Pinoso, Alcoy and Benidorm, the values of polluting agents do not exceed 50 in any case, so it can be said that the air quality in these municipalities is satisfactory and does not pose any risk to the health of its inhabitants or it is very small.
It should be noted that one of the ways in which air quality can be improved is to reduce pollutants, which is entirely the point of the new low emissions zones which should have been implemented at the start of this year under European and Spanish legislation. Other than putting a proposal to public tender, Torrevieja town hall has not progressed any further with this plan, as they claim they are awaiting clarification on a number of points, points which other towns, such as Benidorm, have not struggled with.
You can check the AQI and PM2.5 measurements, in real time, on the website, https://www.iqair.com/spain/valencia/torrevieja. An app is also available.
