advertentieOn Friday, June 13, 2025, air quality will be poor across the Netherlands due to smog from ozone. People sensitive to smog may experience issues. The RIVM advises them to stay indoors and limit heavy physical exertion. This advice applies especially in the afternoon and early evening, as the air is most polluted then.
Smog from ozone can lead to an increase in respiratory complaints, such as coughing and shortness of breath, worsening of asthma symptoms, and decreased lung function. Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat may also occur. People with respiratory conditions, children, and the elderly are relatively often sensitive to smog. If you experience symptoms, contact your general practitioner or the GGD Municipal Health Service (Municipal Health Service).
Ozone Forecast for the Coming Days
Due to changing weather conditions, ozone concentrations are expected to be lower starting Saturday. After Saturday, ozone concentrations will decrease further.
Smog from Ozone
Smog from ozone occurs when air pollution accumulates on sunny days. This happens in spring and summer when there is little (mostly southeast) wind. Pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, are converted into ozone under the influence of sunlight. This is also known as summer smog. In other seasons, the suns strength is too low to create high ozone concentrations.
European Information and Alarm Thresholds for Ozone
In Europe, information and alarm thresholds for ozone have been established. The EU European Union (European Union) information threshold is 180 micrograms of ozone per cubic meter of air. In case of (impending) exceedance of this value, people sensitive to smog may experience complaints. The RIVM then issues a warning. The air quality is then poor according to the Dutch Air Quality Index.
The EU alarm threshold is 240 micrograms of ozone per cubic meter of air (very poor according to the Dutch air quality index). When this value is exceeded, anyone may experience complaints. If this is about to happen, the RIVM will change the warning to an alarm.
More Information
- Current and expected smog levels can be found at luchtmeetnet.nl (external link) and NOS Dutch Broadcasting Foundation (Dutch Broadcasting Foundation)-Teletext pages 711 (external link)
- On rivm.nl you can view the maximum hourly and 8-hour concentrations measured by the National Air Quality Measurement Network in recent days.
- More information about smog can be found at rivm.nl
- Information about lung diseases and air pollution can be found at the Longfonds (external link)