On Friday, “the daily limit value for inhalable particulate matter (PM10) of 50 micrograms per cubic meter has not been reached anywhere in mainland Portugal, and the levels reached did not put the health of the most sensitive population at risk,” says its analysis. College of Engineering. Science and Technology at Nova de Lisboa University.
Every day, for the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), this college predicts and analyzes natural events, mainly involving the transport of particles in the air from North Africa.
The APA warned on Friday that a dust mass is expected from North Africa that could affect air quality in the Algarve, Lisbon and inland areas of the country.
The report seen by Lusa indicates that this phenomenon was therefore “much less significant than it was 15 days ago,” whether in terms of duration, affected areas, or the levels it had reached.
The highest values were reached on Saturday in the Algarve, monitored at air quality stations in Faro and Portimão, with the peak in Faro reaching 82 micrograms per cubic meter of mean per hour between 08:00 and 09:00 and recording a reduction since then. .
In Portimão, “oscillations were observed, reaching their highest levels mainly at the beginning of this Saturday, between 01.00 and 04.00 in the morning, but reaching, in terms of hourly averages, values in the range of 60 micrograms per cubic meter,” the document further advances.
Elsewhere in Portugal, including the Lisbon area, particle concentrations fell, but light rain in some cases pulled out particles found at higher altitudes and dirtier surfaces.
“The circulation in the southern quadrant throughout Saturday afternoon will become northwesterly in the southern region of mainland Portugal, in the lower levels of the atmosphere, which will gradually prevent the air mass emerging in North Africa from exerting its influence over the Algarve region.” The Faculty of Science and Technology at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa expects.
According to the document, the concentrations of inhalable particles in the Algarve region are still relatively high, and although the decline is already occurring, they still “merit some caution on the part of more sensitive population groups,” such as children, the elderly, and people with respiratory problems. Respiratory system.
The report indicates that rainfall during the early hours of the morning will further reduce dust concentrations in the atmosphere of this region.
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