A new study has found that Bédar has, as far as ozone in the air is concerned, the most polluted air in Andalucia. The monitoring station above the village recorded levels above the World Health organisation recommended maximums on no fewer than 188 days last year.
The WHO says the maximum should be 100mg per cubic metre of air. Spanish law says the maximum should be 120mg per cubic meter – Bédar recorded high levels than this on 55 days last year.
The next town to come close is Almería city, which saw the limit exceeded on 30 days last year, followed by the region around Carboneras.
Ozone is a contaminate that is released from other contaminates during hot days, and causes eye irritation, asthma and other respiratory problems. It’s a good indication of the overall level of contaminates in the air.
There are 15 monitoring stations across Almería province. Where the Bédar stuff is coming from I do not know – I suspect it builds up in the valley, whilst the other stations are in more breezy areas.