Thursday, January 2, 2014

RAPPLER | New Year pollution triples from last year





TOXIC REVELRY. During the first few hours of the new year, air pollution in Metro Manila skyrockets



Fireworks in the Philippines on New Year’s eve is literally a family tradition - with nearly every family in a neighborhood setting off their own fireworks display. That means safety issues (substandard fireworks, careless lighting) and air pollution levels are an annual concern. That’s been slightly tempered in recent years by a government campaign, but Filipinos are now used to a blanket of dark haze hovering over the capital on New Year’s Day. In 2014, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said air pollution in Metro Manila after New Year celebrations was 3 times worse than 2013. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the safe PM10 measurement for air quality is 150 ug/NCM (micrograms per normal cubic meter of air). On January 1, Metro Manila hit 1,437 ug/Ncm, more than 3 times 2013 levels and 10 times more than WHO’s safe level.



No comments:

Post a Comment