Authors: Antonia Varvitsioti, Sarafianos Alegras, Dimitra Mikeli, Efthimios Zervas

Title: DEVELOPMENT OF AN ATMOSPHERIC QUALITY INDEX IN ATHENS

Abstract

Air pollution is a global environmental problem that that primarily affects the health of the urban population. The air quality index is an effective tool for providing the public with useful real time information on a daily basis as to the levels of air pollution. In the present work the measurements of pollutants concentrations in Attica (with the exception of the station of Piraeus I), from 2007 up to 2016, in 36 existing air quality indicators or air pollution and calculated 36 indicators. Then the indices were compared with one another by constructing a linear correlation table. The table was created for the reason that the indicators are not directly comparable, some show commonalities between themselves and others vary according the range of the index, the number of classes/categories and the calculation method. Then, the total daily mortality risk increase (RItotal, %) was calculated and the values compared with the 36 air quality indices (that previously were calculated) to find out which indicators provide the best results. Finally, the best index is proposed to be used in Athens.