The website allows the general public to track air quality in a specific region and on a European level.

Key features of the site are: Data from more than 700 air quality measurement stations across Europe are transmitted to the EEA in Copenhagen on an hourly basis.

Also, Member States should report monthly to the European Commission on all exceedances of the information and alert thresholds (see table below).

Ozone at high concentrations is a health hazard because it can irritate airways, cause breathing difficulties and damage lungs.

Ozone exposure has been linked to a number of health effects and is thought to be the cause of the premature deaths of thousands of people in Europe each year.

In 2000, it was estimated that the overall ozone damage to crops corresponded to an economic loss to farmers across EU-25 of about EUR 2.8 billion.

There are marked differences in damage to crops across Europe, depending on agricultural activity, soil moisture and ozone concentration.