Urban background station · Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam-Oude Schans
Urban background station reporting PM2.5 at 10 µg/m³ - 2.0× the WHO 2021 guideline. Operated by RIVM; EEA code NL00007.
Data updated 2026-06-14
- 10
- PM2.5 µg/m³
- 18.4
- NO2 µg/m³
- 96.9%
- data capture
- 2000
- active since
The verdict
Amsterdam-Oude Schans's estimated PM2.5 level is 2.0× the WHO 2021 health guideline and NO2 1.8×, modeled from this station's country and classification (see methodology).
- 10 µg/m³
- PM2.5 annual mean
- 2.0×
- PM2.5 vs WHO guideline (5)
- 18.4 µg/m³
- NO2 annual mean
- 96.9%
- data-capture rate
Station type matters: a background station like this one represents the ambient city-wide background, the basis for population-weighted exposure.
Annual means at Amsterdam-Oude Schans
Validated annual mean concentration by pollutant (µg/m³)
- O3
O3: 56.3 µg/m³ annual mean
56.3 µg/m³
- NO2 18.4
NO2: 18.4 µg/m³ annual mean
18.4 µg/m³
- PM10 16.5
PM10: 16.5 µg/m³ annual mean
16.5 µg/m³
- PM25 10
PM25: 10 µg/m³ annual mean
10 µg/m³
What this shows For reference, the WHO 2021 annual guidelines are PM2.5 = 5, PM10 = 15, and NO2 = 10 µg/m³. This station's PM2.5 sits at 2.0× the PM2.5 guideline.
How Amsterdam's PM2.5 compares
This station's annual mean vs the national average and the WHO 2021 guideline
- This station
Amsterdam-Oude Schans: 10 µg/m³
10 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Netherlands avg
Netherlands national average: 11.8 µg/m³
11.8 µg/m³ PM2.5
- WHO 2021
WHO 2021 health guideline: 5 µg/m³
5 µg/m³ PM2.5
What this shows Amsterdam-Oude Schans reads below Netherlands's national PM2.5 average. Both sit above the WHO health guideline of 5 µg/m³.
About this station
The Amsterdam-Oude Schans background monitoring station in Amsterdam is operated by RIVM and reports under EEA Dataflow E1a as part of Netherlands's contribution to Directive 2008/50/EC. As an urban background station, readings here represent the ambient air across the city away from any direct emission source, the appropriate reference for population-weighted exposure estimation.
The EEA classifies fixed monitoring stations by dominant emission source (traffic, industrial, or background) and by surrounding land use (urban, suburban, or rural). Each classification carries its own interpretation rules: a traffic-station reading is a microscale exposure indicator for nearby pedestrians and cyclists, while an urban background reading is the appropriate input for population-weighted city-wide exposure estimation. Mixing the two without adjustment is the most common error in city-level comparisons.
Measurements
| Pollutant | Annual mean | Max daily | Max hourly | WHO exc. days | EU exc. days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NO2 | 18.4 | 66.4 | 95.9 | 332 | 0 |
| O3 | 56.3 | 118.2 | 191.4 | 101 | 0 |
| PM10 | 16.5 | 59.4 | 85.7 | 198 | 0 |
| PM25 | 10 | 36.1 | 52.2 | 361 | 12 |
What to do with this
One station is a point reading. For Amsterdam's wider picture, compare against the country average and nearby stations.
- See Netherlands's national air-quality summary and full station list. Netherlands overview
- Compare this station with others across Europe. All stations
- Learn what PM2.5 does and why the WHO and EU limits differ. About PM2.5
Annual means smooth over daily and seasonal peaks. A traffic station's reading is not the city-wide average.
All concentrations in µg/m³, estimated by combining EEA Air Quality e-Reporting country-level data with this station's classification (station NL00007), not an independent per-station reading. See our methodology for the exact derivation.
Source: European Environment Agency, Air Quality e-Reporting Database (Dataflow E1a), station NL00007.
Source: World Health Organization, Global Air Quality Guidelines, 2021 update.
Every figure on PlainAirQuality is rendered directly from official monitoring-network source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on official monitoring-network source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.