Weather apps on mobile phones have been sounding the alarm for days, but according to the town hall, the air quality in Vienna is ‘satisfactory’. This largely has to do with the limit value for particulate matter set by law. But that is currently changing.
Staying here for a long time “could pose a risk”, weather apps on mobile phones recently warned of “extremely bad” air in Vienna. This was due to values in the finest particulate matter category (PM 2.5). The WHO recommendation of a maximum of 15 µg/m³ per day was exceeded eleven times in Vienna alone in the past month. According to the Vienna Air Quality Report, particulate matter levels were “satisfactory” – because PM 2.5 is measured in Vienna but plays no role in air quality assessment.
A recommendation is not a limit
Heinz Tizek, responsible for air quality measurement at MA 22, first reassures: the WHO values are not about health-threatening amounts of particulate matter, but rather about recommendations for what can be considered really clean air. The air in Vienna “will be better in 2024 than we could have even imagined fifteen years ago.” Ten years ago there were about 100 days a year with such high stress levels, but now there are only a handful.
New limit values within two years at the latest
Tizek believes that the measurement models of mobile phone weather apps are essentially correct. However, he criticizes the fact that warnings about “extremely bad air” are not commented on there: “People are left alone with it, which of course worries them.” Tizek also thinks that the Vienna air quality report turns a blind eye to PM 2.5 particulate matter ‘unsatisfactory, there is no doubt about that’. This is because the EU has so far specified measurements of total particulate matter (PM 10) without any subdivision. But that is currently changing.
In the future, the EU will set a maximum daily limit of 25 µg/m³ PM 2.5 particulate matter and an annual average value of the equivalent of 10 µg/m³ per day as a limit. Only when Austria passes relevant laws – the republic has two years to do so – can Vienna change its air quality assessment, Tizek said.
The situation will slowly improve in the coming days
In any case, relaxation will be the order of the day in the coming days: the high-pressure weather, which prevented air exchange and thus kept the fine dust like a lid on the city, is currently changing. The load is already starting to decrease slightly. However, it will take a few more days for the accumulated particulate matter west of Central Europe to be ‘blown out’, with particles from neighboring countries being carried away via Vienna.
However, the Federal Environment Agency calculates that overall particulate matter pollution in Vienna must be reduced by a quarter so that alarm bells do not ring regularly in the future – both on mobile phones and in the Vienna air quality report. If you take the upcoming EU values for the maximum permitted annual exposure to PM 2.5 as a benchmark, Vienna would not have met the requirements in all cases over the past three years.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
