Low temperatures, cloudless skies and very moderate winds… According to Airparif forecasts, this winter “weather cocktail” not conducive to the dispersion of gases should lead to a new peak in particle pollution this Tuesday across the whole of France. Ile-de-France. The air quality monitoring body predicts that the levels of PM10 (particles more than 10 microns thick) in suspension will exceed the so-called “information and recommendations” threshold set at 50 micrograms ( µg) per cubic meter.
With background pollution estimated at a maximum of 65 µg/m3, particle levels should however remain well below the alert threshold. Exceeding it can lead to the implementation of restrictive measures, such as temporary traffic bans for the most polluting vehicles. Exceeding the “information threshold” does not trigger any restriction measures but is accompanied by numerous recommendations for the inhabitants of the polluted area.
An alert that should continue on Wednesday
From a health point of view, the ARS (Regional Health Agency) advises fragile or vulnerable people to limit their movements, to favor short outings and to prohibit sports activities. On the road side, in the event of exceeding the information threshold, the police headquarters (which must issue its instructions this Monday at the end of the afternoon) generally recommends that Ile-de-France residents postpone travel by car, favor carpooling and reduce the speed by 20 km/h compared to the usual limit speeds on all major roads. The town hall of Paris announced free residential parking during the pollution episode.
This is already the second time since the beginning of the year that Airparif has issued an alert for exceeding the information threshold for PM10. This threshold had already been exceeded on Saturday January 15, in the same proportions as those expected on Tuesday and in the same meteorological context. This first episode of pollution had lasted a day. According to Airparif’s forecast, the new alert should also last at least 24 hours. A “stabilization” of the situation is expected for Wednesday without it being known for the moment whether the recommendations in force on Tuesday (and in particular the speed reductions) will be renewed on Wednesday.
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