The Luxembourg Administration for the Environment has provided advice and recommendations regarding the increase of PM10 fine particle pollution.
On Sunday 22 January 2017, the daily average concentration threshold of 50 μg / m3 was exceeded at two stations. The phenomenon then became widespread on 23 January 2017, with three episodes where the limit was exceeded.
Concentrations have at times reached 56 μg / m3 in Luxembourg-Place Winston Churchill, 55 μg / m3 in Luxembourg-Bonnevoie and 63 μg / m3 in Esch-sur-Alzette.
The European measurement network shows that this phenomenon is not limited to the borders of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg but affects much of Europe as well.
Moreover, over the past days, there has been a temperature inversion which blocked pollutants as they rose and created an accumulation in the lower levels of the air.
The situation will remain complicated over the coming days as a result of the temperature inversion and so will have a negative impact on the air quality. New cases of more than 50 µg/m3 of PM10 are thus expected.
As such, people with health problems such as asthma, cardio-vascular illnesses or respiratory problems, are advised to avoid prolonged activities outdoors for the next few days.
In general, all citizens are advised to use public transport or carsharing, respect the regulations regarding heating limits, and to avoid the use of chimney fires in open fireplaces. It should also be noted that it is forbidden to burn rubbish in the open air, as this type of combustion causes the formation of fine particles.
Il est aussi rappelé qu’il est interdit de brûler des déchets à l’air libre, car cette combustion est à l’origine de la formation de particules fines.
