Fine dust warning for Worms: Air quality reaches alarming values!

On December 28, 2024, the fine dust values ​​in Worms are worryingly high. As news.de , the Worms-Hagenstraße measurement station has exceeded the limit with 27 µg/m³. This level is classified as red in the air quality index (LQI), which particularly expresses the recommendation for risk groups to hold back in the wild.

In the last four hours, air quality has been classified as "bad". The border area for safe air quality is 0 to 25 µg/m³. The maximum value in Worms between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. was 27 µg/m³. Fine dust consists of tiny particles, which in particular can damage the respiratory tract. Sensitive groups of people such as asthmatics and people with existing lung or cardiovascular diseases are particularly at risk.

causes and weather influences

The fine dust includes particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (pm2.5), which penetrate deep into the airways and can cause inflammation there. The causes of air pollution include the combustion of fossil fuels, high traffic volume as well as industrial and agricultural emissions. Natural disasters such as sandstorms, forest fires and volcanic eruptions can also contribute to worsening air quality. The weather conditions also play a role: rain can help reduce fine dust while intensive sunlight can increase the ozone values.

In the past three months, the highest daily means for fine dust in Worms have been measured on different days. On October 4, 2024, the value with 2 µg/m³ was the cleanest air quality. In contrast, a value of 34 µg/m³ was registered on December 2, 2024, and the data of December 27, 2024 also showed with 25 µg/m³.

In addition, an analysis of the Federal Environment Agency Austria that in Austria the air pollution was reduced due to the declining NOx emissions in road traffic and mild weather conditions. This improvement led to lower NO2 emissions in 2022, although limit values ​​were only exceeded at some measuring points in the country. The fine dust sources in Austria are diverse and range from traffic to house fire to industrial and agricultural influences.

The comprehensive air approval data and the analog reports are to be processed in detail for 2022 in the annual report Air quality in Austria, whereby a decline in fine dust pollution after 2011 must be determined. Nevertheless, the need for measures to reduce limit value is pointed out in order to further improve air quality.