The Environment department of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development has released expected ozone levels for this week, after the ozone concentration in the atmosphere exceeded the European Ozone threshold yesterday.
Luxembourg's recent heat wave has meant that ozone levels reached 190 μg/m3 at Vianden station yesterday, surpassing the European Ozone threshold by 10μg/m3. This followed the mandatory change in the national speed limit to 90 km/h on Wednesday afternoon after ozone levels reached 160 ug/m3.
The European ozone threshold is defined as the level beyond which a short exposure presents a risk to human health regarding particularly sensitive sections of the population, i.e. the elderly, children and others with respiratory and cardiac conditions. The Luxembourg government has therefore released information on expected temperatures and ozone levels for the rest of the week:
Friday 3 July 2015: The day will be summery, but temperatures will decrease to maximum 35°C with potential heat storms expected in the evening. Radiation will be somewhat reduced by high altitude clouds, but the accumulation of gas pollutants in the atmosphere combined with very little wind during the day will maintain high ozone concentrations of maximum 200 μg/m3, particularly in the southern part of the country.
Saturday 4 July 2015: Temperatures will be back on the rise, reaching 38°C. A stronger wind to better disperse pollutants, and a more overcast sky with better cloud cover could slightly lower ozone concentrations to bring them below 190 μg/m3, but the risk of exceeding the European threshold will still remain.
