On Saturday, June 21, 2025, air quality will be poor in the center and south of 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 is particularly applicable in the afternoon and early evening when the air is most polluted.
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 can also occur. People with respiratory conditions, children, and the elderly are relatively often sensitive to smog. Contact your doctor or the GGD Municipal Health Service (Municipal Health Service).
Ozone Forecast for the Coming Weekend
On Saturday, the amount of ozone in the air will rise, leading to local smog in the center and south of the Netherlands. In the north, ozone concentrations are lower. On Sunday, ozone levels will rise again, but no smog is expected. From Sunday afternoon, cooler and cleaner air from the west will have a favorable effect on ozone levels.
Smog from Ozone
Smog from ozone occurs when air pollution accumulates on sunny days. This typically 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 Threshold 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. When this value is (threateningly) exceeded, people sensitive to smog may experience complaints. The RIVM then issues a warning. Air quality is then considered 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, everyone 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) (opens in a new window) and NOS Dutch Broadcasting Foundation (Dutch Broadcasting Foundation)-Teletext pages 711 (external link) (opens in a new window).
- 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) (opens in a new window)