Air quality news in Portugal

Latest news and stories about air quality in Portugal for expats and residents.

Featured stories

Sahara dust and high heat persist until Saturday

🩺 Health 🌱 Environment#severe-weather+2 more

The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera or IPMA) warns that airborne dust from North Africa will persist across mainland Portugal until Saturday. Temperatures are expected to remain above average, reaching up to 35 °C in many regions, leading health authorities to advise vulnerable groups to stay indoors.

A red warning is the highest alert level issued by Portugal's weather agency, the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera or IPMA), used when conditions pose a very high risk to life and property. Under a red warning authorities may close roads, suspend transport and advise people to avoid coastal and flood‑prone areas, so follow civil protection instructions during the Friday–Saturday storm period.

6 sources →21 May

Sahara dust and high heat persist until Saturday

Poor air quality expected across Portugal until Thursday

🩺 Health 🌱 Environment#air-quality+3 more

The Directorate-General of Health (Direção-Geral da Saúde or DGS) has issued a warning for poor air quality across mainland Portugal through Thursday. The alert is due to dust clouds arriving from North Africa, with authorities advising children and the elderly to take extra precautions.

The DGS (Direção-Geral da Saúde) is Portugal's central public health authority, responsible for setting health policy guidelines, managing vaccination programs, disease surveillance, and public health campaigns. It operates under the Ministry of Health.

The DGS issues clinical guidelines (normas) that health professionals across Portugal follow, manages the national vaccination schedule, coordinates responses to disease outbreaks, and publishes health statistics. It became widely known during the COVID-19 pandemic as the lead agency for public health guidance.

For residents, the DGS is the authoritative source for vaccination schedules, health alerts, and clinical guidance. Its recommendations shape how hospitals and health centers deliver care across the country.

5 sources →6 Apr

Poor air quality expected across Portugal until Thursday

Recent articles

ZERO warns of poor air quality in schools

🌱 Environment 🎓 Education#air-quality+3 more

On World Children's Day, ZERO released the results of an air quality assessment in schools. The environmental association measured pollution levels in 15 schools and considers the results worrying.

rtp.pt1 Jun

ZERO warns of poor air quality in schools

Zero warns about children's exposure to air pollution

🌱 Environment 🩺 Health#air-quality+2 more

Faced with pollution levels “well above the maximum limit” near schools, Zero calls for total or partial restrictions on car traffic, especially during children's arrival and departure times.

observador.pt1 Jun

Zero warns about children's exposure to air pollution

Children are exposed to "toxic" pollution near schools in Lisbon, warns Zero

🌱 Environment 🩺 Health#air-quality+2 more

Environmental association points out that children “are breathing very worrying levels of toxic gas”.

cmjornal.pt1 Jun

Children are exposed to "toxic" pollution near schools in Lisbon, warns Zero

ZERO warns of poor air quality in schools

🌱 Environment 🎓 Education#air-quality+3 more

On World Children's Day, ZERO released the results of an air quality assessment in schools. The environmental association measured pollution levels in 15 schools and considers the results worrying.

rtp.pt1 Jun

Zero warns about children's exposure to air pollution

🌱 Environment 🩺 Health#air-quality+2 more

Faced with pollution levels “well above the maximum limit” near schools, Zero calls for total or partial restrictions on car traffic, especially during children's arrival and departure times.

observador.pt1 Jun

Children are exposed to "toxic" pollution near schools in Lisbon, warns Zero

🌱 Environment 🩺 Health#air-quality+2 more

Environmental association points out that children “are breathing very worrying levels of toxic gas”.

cmjornal.pt1 Jun

Zero wants fewer vehicles circulating in urban areas with the most polluted air

🌱 Environment 🚇 Infrastructure#air-quality+2 more

Portugal continues to have several urban areas with high concentrations of air pollutants, warns the environmental association Zero, advocating for a significant reduction in vehicles on the road and the electrification of freight transport, buses, and collective light vehicles. To reduce air pollution in urban areas, it is necessary to replace older fleets with electric vehicles, especially for intensive use, the association explains in a statement released for International Day of Clean Air, marked on Sunday, April 12. The proposed measures not only improve air quality but also reduce dependence on fossil fuels, serving as an effective way to address rising fuel prices resulting from the current geopolitical context. However, the association laments that the Portuguese trend has been an increase in traffic in urban areas, such as the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, and that Portugal lags behind in the European Union in the electrification of logistics and public passenger transport. Recalling that air pollution is a leading cause of premature death globally, surpassing tobacco, Zero highlights how air pollution is associated with diseases such as stroke, respiratory illnesses, and lung cancer, with its impact on children being particularly concerning. In Portugal, air pollution is responsible for the premature death of about 4,200 people per year, equivalent to 12 deaths per day—deaths that Zero considers largely preventable if the values recommended by the World Health Organization were met. Road transport is one of the main sources of air pollution, especially in urban environments, contributing to high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particles, and ozone (as a precursor), making it essential to act in this sector, Zero reinforces. Zero wants the Lisbon Metro to open at 05:30 due to the increase in fuel prices.

Diário de Notícias11 Apr

Zero wants fewer vehicles circulating in urban areas with the most polluted air

Air quality news in Portugal

Featured stories

Sahara dust and high heat persist until Saturday

Poor air quality expected across Portugal until Thursday

Recent articles

ZERO warns of poor air quality in schools

Zero warns about children's exposure to air pollution

Children are exposed to "toxic" pollution near schools in Lisbon, warns Zero

Featured stories

Sahara dust and high heat persist until Saturday

Poor air quality expected across Portugal until Thursday

Recent articles

ZERO warns of poor air quality in schools

Zero warns about children's exposure to air pollution

Children are exposed to "toxic" pollution near schools in Lisbon, warns Zero

Heat - High temperatures and suspended dust in Portugal

IPMA: High temperatures and suspended dust in mainland Portugal - Statement No. 3

Dust concentration in the air expected to persist until Saturday

IPMA: dust concentration remains until Saturday

Desert dust returns to hit Portugal between today and Saturday

#infoIPMA #Dust Dust episode over Mainland Portugal on the 21st

DGS: Population should stay indoors due to airborne dust

DGS advises vulnerable population to stay indoors due to air dust concentration

Zero considers proposal to reduce air pollution in Portugal insufficient

Pollen concentration in the atmosphere will remain high until the end of the month

Portugal has until 2030 to reduce air pollution

Government pollution control plan leaves many questions in the air

Zero wants fewer vehicles circulating in urban areas with the most polluted air

Zero association wants fewer vehicles circulating in urban areas with the most polluted air

Zero Association wants fewer vehicles circulating in urban areas with the most polluted air

See the precautions to take regarding the dust from North Africa hitting the country

Dust from North Africa has returned to Portugal: air quality will be poor until Thursday

Directorate-General of Health warns of poor air quality until Thursday in mainland Portugal

Saharan dust is expected to hit Portugal

Climate change is altering Sahara dust – and Europe is in the path of the winds

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