It is easier to breathe in Podgorica tonight, although for the eighth day in a row the permissible values of particulate matter (PM10) in the air have been exceeded.
The highest concentration of dust particles was measured at 11:117,7 a.m. - 3 µg/m13, and after XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. it started to decrease significantly.
In Podgorica, at 19 p.m., the concentration of particulate matter (PM10) in the air was 46,86 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter). The average permissible value of the concentration of PM10 particles is 50 µg/m3. At one hour after midnight, the concentration of PM10 in the air was is 91 µg/m56, while during the night it was above 3 µg/m100.
The average daily concentration of PM10 particles in the air was 142,56 µg/m3 yesterday
The decisive meteorological factor that would reduce the concentration of smoke in the air, according to the head of the Weather Analysis and Forecasting Center at the Hydrometeorological Institute, Branko Micev, would be a stronger wind that would clear the atmosphere.
"During the weekend in Podgorica, a southerly wind of lower intensity and a drop in pressure is expected, so it can be expected that the situation will improve and air pollution will decrease. However, the number of fires that could be in the city and its surroundings must also be taken into account, and on which the smokiness of the air depends," Micev explained. He stated that rain can only be expected in the middle of next week.
Possible health problems
While citizens complain that they "barely breathe" in recent days, and a significant number of them turned to doctors for help, from Environmental protection agencies assure that the situation is not alarming.
They explained that the concentration of carcinogenic substances and heavy metals in the air is far below the prescribed levels and that there is no cause for concern.
The Institute for Public Health warned that a concentration of PM10 in the air higher than 100 μg/m3 can cause certain health problems in citizens, but most symptoms disappear when these values normalize. The institution explained that any dust pollution is a burden on the human respiratory system, and the impact on health depends on the size and composition of the particles, the length of exposure and the immune capabilities of the organism.
The Agency previously announced that the cause of particle excess is directly related to meteorological factors, wind direction and speed, air pressure and high temperatures, which caused a large number of fires.
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