Govt. issues warning about air quality over Sahara dust

May 20, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Hydrometerological Service on Thursday advised the public that air quality monitoring has determined that the concentrations of particulate matter have exceeded the World Health Organization’s Standard in several regions across Guyana.

Air quality index used by WHO (for reference)

The increase in concentrations of particulate matter is due to the significant amounts of dust travelling across the northern tropical Atlantic to the Caribbean from the Sahara region, commonly known as the Sahara Dust Phenomenon or the Saharan Air Layer, the two government departments said in a joint statement.
As such, the departments said hazy conditions are expected and visibility may be poor. High concentrations of particulate matter may affect vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly and persons with respiratory illnesses. These persons are advised to limit their presence outdoors. Particulate matter is a term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News