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1.1 Introduction 5

xample,
between adjacent countries. For e Greece exchanges ozone with Italy whereas ,
Japan and Canada “import” various types of air pollution from China and the United
, States, respecti . Moreo er v ely v the transboundary transport of acidifying pollutants has led
to a marked change in the acidity of lakes and streams in Scandina as observed in the via,
arren,
1960s (ApSimon and W 1996). These problems hae also been observed to appear v
xample,
on an intercontinental scale. For e based on observations of atmospheric carbon
monoxide, ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate, radon, aerosols, and nonmethane hydrocarbons
(NMVOCs), Jaf fe et al . (1999) showed that emissions from East Asia significantly impact
the air arriving to North America. North America has also been reported to “e air xport”
pollutants to Europe (Holloway et al ., 2003). A number of toxic substances are capable of
,
intercontinental atmospheric transport, including mercury toxaphene, he xachlorobenzene,
Advisory Board, and poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (International 2004). Air Quality
This type of air pollution is another proof of the fact that pollution is a problem that needs
intergovernmental cooperation to be properly addressed.

Global
Global air pollution is related to two famous problems that are responsible to a great extent
w areness about en for the increased public avironmental issues. The greenhouse effect and
stratospheric ozone depletion changed our view and attitude about the environment. F or
the first time, it was realized that our activities could lead to a drastic global change in the
climate or atmosphere. The extensive use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) till 1985 resulted
in a decrease in the ozone concentration in the stratosphere, which led to an increase in the
amount of UV-B radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. Ozone depletion has many adverse
effects on both ecosystems and humans, independent of geographical position or economic
status. As a result, nonmelanoma skin cancers hae increased, leading to concerns about
v
human health, and the photosynthesis process, vital for life support on the Earth, has been
,
put in danger (UNEP 1992). Although Molina and Rowland reported the possibility of
ozone destruction by the action of CFCs in 1974, it was the discoery of the ozone “hole” v
in the Antarctic stratosphere in 1984 that led to urgent and interernmental action v go
(Farman et al ., 1985). The rapid eement of ozone depletion and its obvious tremen-
olv
v
dous potential effects led to the decision to ban and replace all CFCs. At the same time,
the emissions of some compounds into the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ),
arming.
seem to cause global wThe word “seem” is used because the effect of increased
levels of CO 2 in the atmosphere has not been fully understood. In contrast to the issue of
ozone depletion, the greenhouse effect is still under consideration and its potential impact
on the Earth has not been fully concluded.
In Table 1.2, air pollution problems are connected to the most important pollutants.
At this point, it would be interesting to examine the situation in terms of air quality
orld. around the w

European Union
v
The eolution of the emissions of some atmospheric pollutants in Europe (EU-15) in the
period 1990–1999 has been presented in the report of Goodwin and Mareckova (2002). The
report includes acidifying pollutants (ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides),
tropospheric ozone precursors, NMV carbon monoxide, and particulate matter
OCs,