Bad air in Vienna and Lower Austria: fine dust values over limit values

Bad air in Vienna and Lower Austria: fine dust values over limit values

In the past few days, a worrying deterioration in air quality has been determined in Lower Austria and Vienna. One reason for this is a stable inversion weather situation that ensures that fine dust is stowed in the air and especially in urban areas above the permissible limit values. This situation should above all alert risk patients, as they are asked to minimize physical activities outdoors to prevent health risks.

The region's weather apps are currently often warning of poor air quality. The reason for this, explains Moritz Trichtl, a meteorology expert at the state of Lower Austria, is in a stable inversion weather situation. This means that fine dust cannot escape into the upper layers of air. Instead, he remains trapped in the layers of air close to the ground, which leads to a significant deterioration in air quality. This is essentially because the wind disappears and the sun's rays hardly penetrate.

What does inversion weather situation mean?

A simple understanding of an inversion weather situation is that it arises when warm air "encapsulates" colder air underneath. Usually warm air would rise and mix with higher layers, which better distributes pollutants in the air and thus improves the air quality. But with this phenomenon, the cold air, which often contains pollutants, remains on the ground, while the warm layer of air over it looks like a barrier.

in areas with high population density, as in Vienna, the fine -dust values have increased alarming. At various measurement stations, the limit values of 50 micrograms per cubic meter are literally exceeded. According to the legal requirements, this value in Austria may only be exceeded 25 days a year, which shows how pressing the situation is currently. These emissions often come from traffic, industry and heating technology, which leads to a high level of pollution in particular in urban metropolitan areas.

Health dangers for endangered groups

The health risks associated with a high fine dust concentration should not be underestimated. Air pollutants such as fine dust as well as nitrogen dioxide and ozone are among the most dangerous, especially for people who are already suffering from respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma or COPD) or cardiovascular diseases. Doctors therefore strongly advise you to do without the physical exertion outdoors during this critical weather situation in order to protect yourself from possible health problems.

Although the current situation is worrying, there are also bright spots: Data show that the fine dust values have dropped overall in recent years. Christine Pennerstorfer, head of the Department of Environmental and Interchanging Technology in the State of Lower Austria, emphasizes that the PM10 values have been reduced by around 50 percent since 2000. Smaller particles, which are known as PM2.5, also declined by around 30 percent. Thanks to around 40 measuring stations in the region, air quality can be well monitored and documented.

In the coming days, it remains to be seen whether the weather conditions improve and the air quality improves accordingly. A balanced handling of air pollution remains of crucial importance for urban areas such as Vienna and Lower Austria. For more information on this topic, see the current reporting on www.meinbezirk.at .