Air quality in Lübeck: Fine dust levels and health risks!

Air quality in Lübeck: Fine dust levels and health risks!

Lübeck.The city of Lübeck continuously records the air quality in Moislinger-Allee in the St. Lorenz-Süd district. A key measuring instrument there assesses how many fine dust particles of size PM10 are present in a cubic meter of air. The critical limit for these particles is 50 per cubic meter, and the law allows 35 exceedances per year. If more, the authorities required measures to avoid penalties from the European Union.

Air quality in Lübeck is assessed based on three main values: fine dust, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. Classification is carried out into different categories such as “poor” or “very poor”, which are based on whether specified limit values ​​are exceeded. The limit value for nitrogen dioxide is 200 μg/m³, for fine dust it is 100 μg/m³ and for ozone it is 240 μg/m³. If any of these values ​​are exceeded, the air quality is considered “very poor” and can have serious health consequences.

Current air quality measurements in Luebeck

Air quality is measured hourly, with nitrogen dioxide and ozone recorded as hourly averages. Fine dust, on the other hand, is viewed as a moving daily average. At low values, no health risks are expected, while at medium and high values, sensitive people such as asthmatics should be more careful.

However, one worrying aspect remains: in the European Union, particulate matter continues to cause an estimated 240,000 premature deaths per year. This indicates that although air quality may be improved, the dangers of air pollutants are not completely eliminated.

Recommendations for poor air quality

How to react correctly:

• Bei sehr schlechter Luftqualität: Personen mit empfindlichen Atemwegen wird geraten, körperliche Aktivitäten im Freien zu vermeiden, da eventuell gesundheitliche Risiken bestehen.
• Bei schlechter Luftqualität: Auch hier sollten empfindliche Personen auf Anstrengungen im Freien verzichten, da dies möglicherweise ihre Gesundheit beeinträchtigen kann.
• Mäßige Luftqualität: Kurzfristige negative Auswirkungen sind unwahrscheinlich. Dennoch sollten sensible Menschen vorsichtig sein, besonders wenn andere Schadstoffe in der Luft sind.
• Gute Luftqualität: Diese ist für Aktivitäten im Freien unbedenklich, sodass Bürger ihre Outdoor-Aktivitäten unbesorgt genießen können.
• Sehr gute Luftqualität: In diesem Fall bieten sich ideale Bedingungen, um viel Zeit im Freien zu verbringen.

In summary, the air quality measurement in Lübeck shows that the city is constantly working to improve the quality of life of its citizens through continuous monitoring of air pollutants. This highlights the importance of being aware of air quality and taking appropriate precautions depending on the conditions.

Source: dpa