[Database of air pollution and air quality indicators for the principal Italian cities: the ITARIA-WHO project]

This paper presents air quality data collected in eight Italian cities (Turin, Genoa, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Palermo) during the period 1994-98. Storage and analysis of data have been performed by the ITARIA collaborative group in the framework of a national study promoted by ECEH-WHO, aimed at evaluating the health impact of urban air pollution. Methods used to compare data from different networks are described. A slight reduction in the annual mean concentrations of NO2, SO2 and CO over the period under study was observed. However, for most of the cities, national and European air quality standards are frequently exceeded also in 1998, particularly for ozone pollution.