Arsenic & lead in Berlin city air: Which German cities are shocking with high levels of fine dust and ozone
Created: 07/08/2022 10:24 am
By: Juliane Gutmann
Lots of road traffic, industry and few green spaces: In cities, air pollution often reaches unhealthy limits.
A new evaluation shows where the air is particularly bad.
By breathing, we not only supply ourselves with vital oxygen: the air also contains fine dust that is dangerous for humans.
The Federal Environment Agency informs that this refers to particles that have a diameter of less than ten micrometers.
For comparison: a human hair has a diameter of 70 micrometers (µg).
Fine dust often contains
rubber particles (tire abrasion) and carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides as well as dust and soot (car exhaust fumes)
.
Other harmful chemical elements such as lead and arsenic may also be present.
High concentrations of fine dust are dangerous for people because they inhale the harmful particles in the air.
Depending on the size of the particles, they can penetrate into the bronchi and cause severe
inflammation
there.
Fine dust can also contribute to plaque formation in the blood vessels and increase the risk of thrombosis, reports Bayerischer Rundfunk.
The Federal Environment Agency warns that particulate matter is also classified as carcinogenic if polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) accumulate on the surface of the particles.
A lot of traffic, high levels of particulate matter: queues of cars in the city center have a negative effect on air quality.
© Olaf Döring/Imago
Heavy metal pollution in fine dust is up to three times higher in Berlin than in other cities
The Federal Environment Agency regularly evaluates the air quality in German cities.
Among other things, it was checked how high the lead, arsenic and nickel values are, how much sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide is in the air and what the ozone values are.
One of the results of the analysis:
climate change favors rising ozone levels.
Ozone is a colorless and toxic gas.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, the ozone levels regularly exceed critical limits, especially in Stuttgart, Munich and Wiesbaden.
Interesting to know: From an ozone value of 180 µg/m3, recommendations on how to behave are given to the population via the media.
This includes shifting sporting activities to cooler times of the day, such as in the morning.
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According to a report by aeris by iRobot as a manufacturer of air purifiers, Berlin is Germany's
dirty
air capital .
This resulted in an analysis of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, benzene and sulfur dioxide concentrations in the air as well as data on particulate matter and the heavy metals arsenic and lead it contains, the statement said.
Essen and Düsseldorf follow Berlin as cities with comparatively particularly dirty air.
The best overall values in comparison show Frankfurt am Main, Bremen and Hanover, it is said.
(jg)
