Air currents from the southeast are showering Finland with traffic and industrial pollution from Russia, Belarus, Poland and Ukraine.
Air pollution experts report that Finland is on the receiving end of more than the usual amount of air pollution from eastern Europe. Air currents originating from the southeast are carrying particles of pollution from Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, says air pollution control specialist Anu Kousa from Helsinki region environmental services. Air quality control officials say the pollution is emanating from traffic, energy production and possibly even from forest fires in the east.
“Fine particles and street dust have caused a deterioration of the air quality in the Helsinki region so that the air quality is now satisfactory or poor, when it’s usually satisfactory or even good,” Kousa added.
The air quality in cities such as Oulu and Tampere was also poor Monday morning and satisfactory in areas such as Jyväskylä, Kuopio and Lappeenranta. However concentrations of pollution are still at a reasonable level, and although they are expected to increase over the next few days, air quality control specialists don’t expect that air quality will worsen. (more)
Read the whole story here: http://yle.fi/uutiset/finland_swept_by_fine_particle_pollution/7249768
Source: YLE