Main sources of polluation are the industrial plants that mainly pollute the environment with gases containing sulphur, carbon, nitrogen and heavy metals. Most of the industrial plants were built without taking into consideration the problem of polluation and waste, and consequently they have no technology to manage the problem. Some of the greatest air pollutants in the Republic of Macedonia are: the lead and zinc smelter in Veles, the steel plant in Skopje, "Jugohrom" in Jegunovce and "Fenimak" in Kavadarci with an estimation of overall emissions of about 10,000 tons SO₂. Some the chemical plants can also be mentioned as pollutants that pollute the air with specific chemicals. Such are: the chemical plant OHIS in Skopje, the factory for fertilizers in Zletovo and the oil refinery in the vicinity of Skopje.The power plant in Bitola and Oslomej are also air pollutants whose emission of SO₂ is about 2,000 mg/m³. The same is true for the central heating enterprice in Skopje due to the fact that it uses fuel with great quantities of sulphur. The newly built gas pipeline is expected to substitute this high polluting fuel. In addition, the emissions of the automobiles in the highly populated areas contribute to the high level of air pollution, especially if we bear in mind the fact that the average age of vehicle is 11 years and most of them are without catalysts and use petrol with a high level of lead (0.6 mg/l) and poor quality diesel (with 1% sulphur). The problem with the emissions from vehicles is especially acute in Skopje where 40% of the population lives.

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