High concentrations of dust are observed in the air on Wednesday, according to measurements from ground Stations of the Air Quality Monitoring Network operated by the Department of Labour Inspection.
A press release from the Department of Labour Inspection said the public, and particularly any vulnerable groups of population (children, the elderly 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 employers, based on The Safety and Health at Work (Code of Practice for the Protection of Persons at Work During Dust Episodes) 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.
In detail, the latest hourly dust concentrations measured at 09:00 am in the following areas are, in Nicosia, 99.3 μg/m3, in Limassol, 100.5 μg/m3, in Larnaca, 105.5 μg/m3, in Paralimni, 70.5 μg/m3, in Paphos, 108.6 μg/m3, in Zygi, 80.6 μg/m3 and in Ayia Marina Xyliatou, 68.0 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’.