Air quality in Rostock: This is how fine dust and ozone are today!

Air quality in Rostock: This is how fine dust and ozone are today!

What is the air quality in Cologne? This June 29, 2025, the latest data shows that air quality in Germany is quite worrying. Measuring stations, such as those at Holbein-Platz in Rostock, record a variety of pollution, including fine dust, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. According to a survey by Baltic Sea newspaper, the limit value for fine dust (PM10) must not exceed 50 particles per cubic meter of air and can be exceeded up to 35 times annually.

Fine dust, whose concentrations have been significantly reduced in Germany since the 1990s, is still a major issue. The current annual PM10 values ​​are on average between 15 and 20 µg/m³. In comparison, in the 90s they were still at a shocking 50 µg/m³. The Federal Environment Agency explains that these values ​​are mainly found in urban areas, where transport and industry are the main emitters.

Limit values ​​and their meaning

Air quality is categorized based on various values. While values ​​over 200 μg/m³ for nitrogen dioxide and over 100 μg/m³ for fine dust are considered “very bad”, values ​​between 101 and 200 μg/m³ are classified as “poor”. This is particularly important to note because, according to the German environmental aid The WHO limit value recommendations for fine dust are exceeded at 99% of the measuring stations. What is also alarming is that the health-damaging level for nitrogen dioxide is also exceeded in almost three quarters of the stations.

Shockingly, this air pollution leads to 240,000 premature deaths every year in the EU from particulate matter exposure alone. Health risks caused by PM10 and PM2.5 include respiratory diseases and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A good reason to care about air quality!

• Grenzwerte:
• „Sehr schlecht“: Stickstoffdioxid > 200 μg/m³, Feinstaub > 100 μg/m³
• „Schlecht“: Stickstoffdioxid 101-200 μg/m³, Feinstaub 51-100 μg/m³
• „Mäßig“: Stickstoffdioxid 41-100 μg/m³, Feinstaub 35-50 μg/m³
• „Gut“: Feinstaub 0-35 μg/m³
• „Sehr gut“: beste Voraussetzungen für Aktivitäten im Freien

Tips for citizens when air quality is poor

In times of bad air, the population says: Be careful! If the air quality is “very poor,” sensitive people should avoid physical activity outdoors, while if the air quality is “poor,” efforts should be reduced. With “moderate” air, short-term health effects are unlikely, but this can still be noticeable for sensitive people.

A particularly big cause of fine dust is fireworks, which release around 2,050 tons of fine dust into the air every year, 75% of which occurs on New Year's Eve alone. Even if this seasonal loading is not significant over the course of the year, it still contributes to the global findings.

The question remains what will happen next with the limit values. Germany plans to abstain from setting new guidelines, which is being criticized according to German Environmental Aid. There is a lot at stake, not only for air quality, but also for the health of the population.

Overall, it is clear that an all-encompassing effort is required to improve air quality in cities and thus save valuable lives. So that at some point we all have “very good” conditions for our outdoor activities!