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Environmental information systems
Key messages: Industrial releases to air from European facilities include chemicals that are hazardous to human and ecosystem health. Industrial releases of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and non-methane volatile organic compounds decreased by 64% and 37%, respectively, between 2010 and 2022. During the same period, releases of the heavy metals mercury, cadmium, lead, nickel and their compounds decreased by 54%, 56%, 79% and 63%, respectively. However, the health costs associated with these emissions remain significant.
Industrial releases to air, EU Member States*, 2010-2021
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The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) collects data on releases to air and water from industrial facilities. This includes the organic industrial pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs); and the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni)) and their compounds, for which quality and consistency in reporting allow for a trend assessment.
Releases of PAHs to air from industrial facilities decreased by 64% between 2010 and 2022 and by 37% for NMVOCs. During the same period, releases of the heavy metals Hg, Cd, Pb, Ni and their compounds decreased by 54%, 56%, 79% and 63%, respectively. Cd is considered a carcinogen; Hg and Pb are toxic to reproduction. Despite these reductions, an EEA briefing on the health costs associated with industrial emissions identified that over the period 2012 to 2021 the total health costs related to industrial emissions of heavy metals was approximately EUR 120 billion (and estimated at around EUR 9 billion in 2021 alone).
The decrease in industrial pollutant emissions to air can be partly attributed to European regulations, such as the EU Emissions Trading System and the Industrial Emissions Directive, and the switch away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources. In addition, the decreasing trends could be partly explained by the relocation of various heavy-polluting and energy-intensive manufacturing industries — such as textile or metal production — outside Europe.
With the ongoing revision of the E-PRTR Regulation, additional pollutants currently not covered by the regulation could be reported by industry in the near future. This would help monitor releases of additional substances of concern, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.
Data on releases to air of PAHs cover 23 Member States, while data for heavy metals cover 27.
The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) collects emission data as set out in Regulation (EC) 166/2006 and Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1741. The E-PRTR collects data on 91 pollutant releases to air and water, including dioxins from industrial facilities, for example. However, a lack of consistency in reporting across countries and years limits the use of most of the pollutant data.
The reporting is subject to certain criteria, especially the amounts of different substances released that are covered by the regulation. Hg and Cd emissions to air should be reported only if they exceed the threshold of 10 kg/year. The threshold is 50 kg/year for PAHs and Ni, 200 kg/year for Pb and 100,000 kg/year for NMVOCs.
Industrial sectors contributing to the selected releases include waste and wastewater management, metals, energy, chemicals, paper and wood, minerals, and food and beverage production. Chemical releases are therefore not necessarily linked to chemical use in the facilities and include pollutant releases as part of production processes.
More information is available on the Industrial Emissions Portal, and at the EEA indicators webpages for releases of industrial pollutants to air and releases of water.
Relevant objectives under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability
- Restore human health and environment to a good quality status
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References and footnotes
- ↵EC, 2020, 'EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)', (https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets_en)accessed December 12, 2023.
- ↵EU, 2010, Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) (recast) (Text with EEA relevance) (OJ L 334, 17.12.2010, pp. 17-119).
- a bEU, 2019, Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1741 of 23 September 2019 establishing the format and frequency of data to be made available by the Member States for the purposes of reporting under Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and amending Council Directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC (notified under document C(2019) 6745) (Text with EEA relevance) (OJ L 267, 21.10.2019, pp. 3-8).
- ↵EU, 2006, Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 January 2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and amending Council Directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC (Text with EEA relevance) (OJ L 33, 4.2.2006, pp. 1-17).