Latest news and stories about pollution in Portugal for expats and residents.
Fishermen in Caparica are collecting more trash in their nets following music festivals on the Algés promenade in Oeiras, including cups, bottles, and other debris that clash with sustainability campaigns.
Research collected 33 sediment samples in an area influenced by tourism and maritime traffic. Results show a median concentration of 100 particles per kilogram of sediment.
At issue are effluent discharges from Vila Velha de Ródão, in the Upper Tagus, to Chamusca, in the Lezíria region.
Environmental association points out that children “are breathing very worrying levels of toxic gas”.
Environmentalists from Zero point the finger at 10 companies in Portugal that increased pollution levels by more than seven percent in 2025. Among them are the Sines refinery, owned by Petrogal, and TAP. 2025 was also the year that saw an increase in emissions associated with electricity production, especially in natural gas power plants.
The Sines refinery and the airline TAP are identified as the largest sources of pollution in Portugal for the year 2025.
There is a direct and alarming relationship between prolonged exposure to air pollutants and the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), the most common form of the disease, according to researchers.
Home News Dolphins washed ashore in Portugal due to pollution Dolphins washed ashore in Portugal due to pollution University of Aveiro researchers found high levels of persistent organic pollutants in stranded bottlenose dolphins on Portugal’s coast.
Swimming has been banned on the INATEL and Pescadores beaches in Albufeira following a sewage leak, the municipal council has announced. The ban has been imposed by the Portuguese Environment The post Swimming ban imposed at Albufeira beaches after sewage pipe burst appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Pigmented particles absorb more sunlight than white ones. The global impact is small, but it could be significant over oceanic zones with large accumulations of waste.
These microplastics and nanoplastics originate from the fragmentation of larger plastic waste.
The party writes to Maria da Graça Carvalho and Aguiar-Branco to denounce a situation “that has been going on for years”.
Dark and foul-smelling water found along a kilometre of the Angueira river. The mayor of Vimioso has reported two suspicious discharges to the SEPNA, APA, and ICNF. The source is yet to be determined.
Toxic waste from the Panasqueira mines tailings pile has begun to collapse into a tributary of the Zêzere River, heading towards the Castelo do Bode dam, which supplies water to approximately 3 million Portuguese people.
A pollution slick of unknown origin was detected today inside the harbour of Horta, on the island of Faial, in the Azores, the National Maritime Authority (AMN) revealed.
Lead and arsenic on the banks of the Zêzere concern Quercus, which is requesting periodic studies from the APA and ERSAR. At stake is the water that supplies the Greater Lisbon area.
A collapse at the Panasqueira Mines, in the Covilhã area, dragged waste, sludge, and toxic materials into the Cebola stream, a tributary of the Zêzere River. Quercus has reported the incident and issued several demands.
The study focuses on platinum, palladium, and rhodium, metals that are released by automotive catalytic converters and industrial processes.
The improvement is likely due to “more favourable weather conditions for the dispersion of pollutants,” says Zero. Much still needs to be done, they warn, noting the “privilege” given to cars in Lisbon.
High pollution levels and the associated risk to public health are at issue. The beach was closed 18 times during the last bathing season.
A study reveals that the Portuguese fear a lack of quality water, wildfires, and extreme weather events, but continue to rank the climate crisis behind health, housing, and the cost of living.
The new treaty is part of the Council of Europe's strategy for the Environment and aims to address the so-called “triple planetary crisis” — climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity.
