In these hours an exceptional influx of dust originating from the Sahara is causing high concentrations of PM10 in many places in Campania, measured by the monitoring network of the regional environmental agency. This is what Arpac made known, which also showed the eloquent satellite image in support.
Corresponding to the phenomenon, observed by many even with the naked eye with the appearance of a characteristic yellow color, a significant increase in PM10 concentrations was found in numerous measurement points starting yesterday evening.
“In the city of Naples, one of the maximum hourly concentrations was detected yesterday at 12 from the Capodimonte – Astronomical Observatory station, equal to 136 micrograms per cubic meter. This is a station located to measure background pollution, relatively distant from the sources of emissions from traffic, which generally records significantly lower hourly concentrations. At 2 pm, with the intense rains that cleared the air, the hourly concentration in the same station was equal to 9 micrograms per cubic meter”, reads the note from the ‘Regional Environment Agency.
But it is in the Salerno area that the record was recorded: “At a regional level, in correspondence with this important influx of desert dust, the highest peak so far has been measured in Polla (Salerno), with an hourly concentration of 500 micrograms per cubic meter measured at 2pm yesterday”.
A term of comparison is given by the limit set by the legislation (in terms of daily average, not to be exceeded for more than 35 days in a year), equal to 50 micrograms per cubic meter.
