High concentrations of dust are observed in the air on Tuesday, according to measurements from ground Stations of the Air Quality Monitoring Network operated by the Department of Labour Inspection.
In the announcement, the Department urges the public, and particularly any vulnerable groups (children, older people, and the infirm) to avoid circulating in open spaces until the observed episode has elapsed, as the small size of respirable particles in dust may have negative effects on human health.
At the same time, the employers must take appropriate measures (organizational and/or technical) after assessing any risks that their employees may face while working in open spaces, and it is recommended that workers in such spaces use appropriate means of personal protection.
Measurements regarding the latest dust concentrations at 09:00 am (local time) show that Nicosia had 95.5 µg/m3, Limassol 122.9 µg/m3, Larnaca 163.4 µg/m3, Paralimni 128.5 µg/m3, Paphos 172.9 µg/m3, Zygi 80.5 µg/m3, Ayia Marina Xyliatou 70.9 µg/m3.
The Department explains that ‘dust’ refers to respirable particulate matter of a diameter smaller than 10 µm (PM10) in the air. According to the relevant legislation, a limit value not to be exceeded is set for the daily average concentrations at 50 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter).