Air pollution

The level of atmospheric air pollution is determined by two main types of pollution sources: industry and mobile sources (primarily motor vehicles). The Odesa region, like other regions of the Northwestern Black Sea area, is among the regions of Ukraine where motor vehicles are the dominant source of air pollution. In recent years, an additional source of pollution has been military actions on the territory of Ukraine, resulting in the release of various harmful substances into the air in significant amounts. This may contribute to an overall increase in atmospheric pollution levels.

There are no active hostilities in the Odesa region. However, periodic missile and other attacks by Russia lead to increased environmental pollution due to the destruction of military equipment and strikes on civilian and industrial infrastructure.

According to official data (the Laboratory for Air Pollution Monitoring of the Hydrometeorological Center of the Black and Azov Seas, the Municipal Center for Environmental Safety of the Department of Ecology and Development of Recreational Areas of the Odesa City Council), in 2024, the maximum concentrations of certain pollutants in the atmospheric air of Odesa did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration (MPC). However, average concentrations exceeded the permissible levels for two substances—soot and formaldehyde. The overall pollution level in Odesa remained at the 2023 level, and the city continues to rank among the ten most polluted cities in Ukraine.