In Kyiv, the air quality is poor for several reasons. When will this improve, and how can we protect ourselves in the meantime?

In Kyiv, for several consecutive days, residents have been forced to leave their homes amidst the smell of smoke and notifications about air pollution.

Ecologist Alexander Sokolенко shared with "Telegraph" when this situation will come to an end. He also provided advice on what can be done at a personal level to ensure safety.

The culprits are the frost, lack of wind, and high-pressure zone

The main reason is the weather conditions, explains Alexander Sokolensko. Since February 8, Ukraine has experienced a cold snap due to anticyclonic weather. The frosts persist, especially at night, while daytime temperatures rise to thawing levels.

"A high-pressure zone dominates the territory of Ukraine, except for the southeast. The wind is very weak. With the drop in air temperature, people use more fossil fuels, or whatever they have. We have combined heat and power plants that operate on fuel oil. Because of the low temperatures, emissions into the atmosphere increase, particularly those substances that contribute to the accumulation of the dust we see,” — the ecologist explains.

When there is practically no wind (this is especially true for the night or morning when the wind is the weakest), substances formed from burning coal, wood, and fuel oil accumulate over the city.

Another contributing factor is vehicles: emissions from traffic "hang" over major road arteries in the morning.

"If we look at the air pollution maps, the largest areas of pollution are, for example, major highways. Buzhan Avenue in Kyiv, Obolon near the bridges. There, the highest concentrations of these pollutants are recorded in the morning. Also at the city entrances: Zhytomyr Highway, Kyiv Highway. Significant vehicle traffic is recorded in the morning, and you can even visually see that the air is polluted (dust resembling fog)," — the ecologist adds.

So, cold weather, high pressure, and lack of wind all lead to the accumulation of pollutants over large cities or regions where industry is concentrated.

"During the day, a little wind may appear. If you open the map now and take a look, the air quality in Kyiv has improved. However, the highest concentrations are recorded at night and early in the morning,” — Sokolensko explains.

The dangers of emissions to health

The most dangerous are carcinogens, which are formed as a result of burning even automotive fuels. These include benzo[a]pyrenes, dioxins, soot. Carcinogens can lead to irreversible changes in the human body.

There are also toxic substances. They can temporarily worsen the health of a person breathing this air.

"In fact, these combustible hydrocarbons are the most dangerous for humans and animals. There is nothing pleasant about this, but I would say that it is probably not catastrophic either. Because the growth of concentrations of these substances is recorded quite often, particularly, for example, in the territory of Kyiv. This is not only a winter issue. It is also a problem in summer when hot, windless, sunny weather prevails. The indicators also rise concerning all these substances. Therefore, this happens periodically,” — the ecologist explains.

Interestingly, neighboring Poland suffers even more from such issues as they use a lot of coal for heating.

"And when such weather forms over Ukraine, it is also quite difficult to breathe in Poland. This is especially true in winter. This unpleasant phenomenon is temporary. If you look at the weather forecast, around the end of Friday, the weather pattern is expected to change. Atmospheric fronts from the west will arrive, consequently, the wind will strengthen. This phenomenon will disappear,” — the expert forecasts.

Do not run near roads in the morning; masks won't help much: advice

While we cannot control the weather, vehicles, and emissions from industrial sources, there are several things that each of us can do at a personal level.

The first is to move morning runs to the gym and absolutely avoid running near roads under such conditions.

"I am currently in the Holosiivskyi district, and a person is running past me — a person engaged in sports. I personally would not run in the morning, especially in such weather, at least in the morning when these concentrations are higher. When we run and engage in sports, we consume more air, consequently, more of these pollutants enter our bodies. So, it is advisable to regulate these sports activities,” — says the ecologist.

He adds that in places such as Obolonsky Avenue, Buzhan Avenue, Kharkiv Highway, Darnytsia Square, and Lobanovsky Avenue, it is better not to run along the roads at any time, regardless of the weather. If you are going to run, it is better to do so in a forest or park away from roadways.

Wet cleaning indoors also helps. At the very least, it will rid you of the excess dust that enters your home.

The ecologist advises eating more vegetables and greens and drinking more fluids. This helps eliminate toxins from the body.

However, medical masks that people wore during the Covid epidemic won't be very effective; they are of little use.

"So, if you wear a mask in such weather — it won’t change anything. You need either a respirator or other means that filter the air better, not just large dust particles, but more serious ones,” — the ecologist advises.

Where to track air quality?

On the SaveEcoBot website, you can view a map by districts and an hourly air quality index (AQI), average PM2.5 values, and other meteorological indicators.

Moreover, the state of the air and radiation background can be monitored on the Ministry of Environment's web resource "Ekozagroza."

Additionally, "Meteopost" is suitable, where an air pollution map opens directly.

As reported by Telegraph, soon Ukraine is expected to warm up significantly. Even before the calendar spring, in some places in Ukraine, the air temperature will rise to +15 degrees.