The air quality in Tampere has improved during the 2000s

Air quality data from Tampere between the years 2005 and 2024 was analyzed. The study Towards Zero‑Pollution Urban Environments: Long‑Term Air Quality Trends in a Low‑Pollution, Northern City was published in Aerosol and Air Quality Research scientific journal on 9.4.2026. 

In the study, decreasing trends were observed in the mass concentration of fine and coarse particles as well as nitrogen oxides coming from traffic. The mass concentration of fine particles seemed to level off during the last five years, whereas the other concentrations continued to decline. The decrease in concentrations was estimated to be caused by development of traffic systems in Tampere and newer vehicle technologies.

Particle number concentration (PNC) is not yet regulated, but it has been measured since 2019 in Tampere. A decreasing trend was not observed in PNC. Traffic is a known source of ultrafine particles that contribute considerably to PNC. Therefore, reducing ultrafine particle concentrations still requires improvements, for example new vehicle technologies. On the other hand, we do not know the long-term trend of ultrafine particles in Tampere because of the shorter measurement period.

Research in low-pollution areas produces valuable information by showing that air quality can be improved even in these kinds of environments. In the future, the results of the study can be utilized, for example when air quality monitoring is upgraded and when setting new emission goals. Furthermore, air pollution has been found to be hazardous to human health even in low concentrations which adds to the importance of studying areas with already clean air.