Ozone levels in the Community of Madrid are the highest since the current limits came into effect in 2010. Ecologistas en Acción is calling for air quality improvement plans from the City Council and the Community.
The ozone levels recorded in the Community of Madrid during 2026 are the highest at least since 2010, according to the annual report from Ecologistas en Acción on ozone pollution in Spain, published as reported by elguadarramista.com. The study analyses data from 1 January to 30 September 2026 across nearly 500 official stations, of which 45 are in the region.
Concentrations generally exceed those of previous years and those recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to the average exceedances of the legal health protection objective during the period 2012-2019, the increase is 43%.
According to the report, which uses the new EU target value for 2030 as a reference, ozone-polluted air would have affected seven million Madrilenians during the three-year period 2024-2026, the population in the worst situation across the entire State. In the seven zones of the Community, the average of the stations fails to meet the current legal objective.
Ecologistas en Acción urges the City Council of Madrid and the Community of Madrid to urgently develop respective air quality improvement plans for ozone. It also demands protocols to address pollution episodes that allow for the implementation of traffic measures.
The organisation reminds that ozone causes up to 1,700 deaths each year in the Community of Madrid, according to the European Environment Agency, and particularly affects children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with cardiorespiratory diseases.
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