The smog that has recently formed in Istanbul and many cities causes air pollution. In addition to the pollutant particles that accumulate on the surface due to the effect of high pressure, the pollution in Istanbul causes haze clouds. While pollution values exceed the limits in the districts extending from Küçükçekmece to Çekmeköy in Istanbul, where the majority of the population resides, Ankara Ulus and Düzce, as well as Istanbul, stand out as the cities with the highest PM10 pollution.
OVER THE LIMIT VALUE
Stating that there has been serious air pollution due to fog for the last 3 days, former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Öztürk also said that the hazy air, especially in the morning hours, collapsed to the surface due to the effect of high pressure. Adding that the increase in air pollution is worrying, Prof. Dr. Öztürk, “Citizens should avoid outdoor sports activities on foggy and misty days. “The PM10 level, which should not exceed the 50 microgram/cubic meter limit value in almost all of Istanbul, is above the limit value,” he said.
IT MAKE YOU SICK!
Stating that PM2.5 values are unknown, Prof. Dr. Öztürk said, “We do not know the PM 2.5 values, but if the limits are exceeded, it means that we are breathing poison as if we smoked a cigarette. Polluted air mixes with the blood circulation system and causes damage. A person breathes 12 thousand to 14 thousand liters of air a day. However Polluted air occurs in Istanbul, especially in the morning and evening hours. “Whoever breathes this air becomes ill.” he said.
DIESEL VEHICLE EFFECT
Meteorological Engineer Prof. Dr. While Selahattin İncecik stated that the foggy air caused by high pressure causes particulate matter pollution, he listed the following warnings: “The main cause of air pollution in Istanbul and Ankara is diesel vehicles. In places dominated by industry, dust from chimneys and thermal power plants pollute the air. Diesel vehicles should be banned and replaced with electric vehicles. Due to the high pressure that continues to be effective throughout Türkiye, pollutants are not spread and the atmospheric volume is shrinking. As the volume shrinks, air pollutants begin to settle towards the surface. “Under normal conditions, in periods when there is no high pressure, pollutants are dispersed and diluted by the intensity of the wind, thus the pollutant values, which we call concentration, decrease.”
“92 percent of the population breathes polluted air”
BLACK REPORT
On the other hand, the results of the ‘Black Report 2024’ research published recently by the Clean Air Right Platform also shed light on the gravity of the situation. The report, which noted that more than 92 percent of the population in Turkey still breathes polluted air according to World Health Organization standards, lists the following warnings: “Every 10 microgram/cubic meter increase in nitrogen dioxide, which is an important component of air pollution along with P10 and PM2.5, increases the risk of breast cancer.” It increases by 1.02 times.”
ONLY 13 CITIES
In the report, the 10 provinces with the highest PM10 average in 2023 are listed as Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Osmaniye, Hakkari, Aydın, Batman, Iğdır, Şırnak, Gaziantep and Kilis. Annual average, Clean cities with PM10 levels below the limit value (40 µg/m3) are; Adıyaman, Bitlis, Karaman, Isparta, Antalya, Bilecik, Kırşehir, Trabzon, Giresun, Rize, Sinop, Afyonkarahisar, Samsun It is emphasized as.
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