Warning issued over high concentrations of dust in the air

Authorities on Saturday issued a warning over high concentrations of dust in the atmosphere, urging vulnerable groups to stay inside.

“The public, and particularly any vulnerable groups of population (children, older people, and the infirm) are urged to avoid circulating in open spaces until the observed episode has elapsed, as the small size of respirable particles in dust may have negative effects on human health,” the labour inspection department said in a written announcement.

Employers must take appropriate measures (organizational and/or technical) after assessing any risks that their employees may face while working in open spaces, and it is recommended that workers in such spaces use appropriate means of personal protection.

According to measurements from ground stations of the air quality monitoring network operated by the department, the latest hourly dust concentrations measured at 9am in the following areas are:

Nicosia:                          164.7  μg/m³

Limassol:                           74.9  μg/m³

Larnaca:                             77.6  μg/m³

Paralimni:                           61.9  μg/m³

Paphos:                                78.2  μg/m³

Zygi:                                   36.3  μg/m³

Agia Marina Xyliatou:          41.8  μg/m³

It is noted that ‘dust’ refers to respirable particulate matter of a diameter smaller than 10 μm (PM₁₀) in the air. According to the relevant legislation, a limit value not to be exceeded is set for the daily average concentrations at 50 μg/m³ (micrograms per cubic meter).

More information on the measured pollutant concentrations and real-time updates is available online at www.airquality.gov.cy, and also through the free mobile application “Air Quality Cyprus”.