Measurements from 2021 show that air pollution in Eastern Finnmark in North Norway is at its lowest level in 48 years, writes the Norwegian Environment Agency in a press release.

"This is good news for the population of Sør-Varanger and nature in Eastern Finnmark", comments Ellen Hambro, Director of the Norwegian Environment Agency.

In the wake of the closure of the smelter in Nickel in north-west Russia in 2020, the levels of sulfur dioxide and heavy metals in the air were significantly lower last year compared to previous years. The Russian smelting industry has long had a negative impact on the air quality in Eastern Finnmark, which the Norwegian Institute for Air Research has mapped through measurements since 1974.

Before the closure of the smelter, there have been cases where air pollution has exceeded limit values for outdoor air quality, most recently in 2016 in Karpdalen in Finnmark. High concentrations of sulfur dioxide can have negative health effects in many people, especially among people with asthma and allergies.