Bulgaria's Cleanest Air Is At Rozhen Peak

Dense fog and smog are commonplace in Bulgaria's cities in the winter. Photo: BGNES

The cleanest air in Bulgaria is at Rozhen peak in the Rhodope mountains, while  the cities Plovdiv and Varna have the most polluted air.

The main cause of air pollution in Bulgaria are the fine dust particles, said the head of the Air Monitoring Department in the State Environment Agency, Valeri Serafimov.

The data of the automated measuring stations show that the most dusty areas in Sofia are the Druzhba residential area (101 days with pollution above the norm) and the Orlov Most intersection (100 days). The norm, according to Serafimov, is 35 days per year.

The cleanest air in Sofia is in the Gorna Banya and Bankya suburbs.

The areas in Sofia with highest concentration of dust particles are near large intersections, and where there is no central heating. According to Serafimov, the main cause for air pollution in cities are industry, traffic, the dusty unwashed streets and boulevards and the heating with coal and wood. Pollution with dust particles is most pronounced in winter when the streets are gritted and people heat their homes. 

Serafimov noted that other air pollutants, such as benzene, carbon oxide, lead, cadmium and nickel are way below the norm across the country. 

A recent European study found that Bulgaria is the EU member state with most polluted air.

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