Dense haze caused by polluting waste covered Havana

A dense haze, caused by the presence of polluting waste in the atmosphere, covered the sky of Havanathis Wednesday, as confirmed by several sources.

The phenomenon, caused by the prevalence of meteorological conditions such as the so-called thermal inversion and the relative calm of the wind, reduced the visibility of buildings even at short distances, the newspaper reported.Granma.

Specialists from the Center for Pollution and Atmospheric Chemistry (Cecont) of the Institute of Meteorology assured that the combination of the thermal inversion (the temperature in the upper layers of the atmosphere is lower than that of the surface) and the calm of the wind caused polluting compounds emitted by various sources do not disperse, and remain suspended and retained at the lowest levels of the atmosphere.

The areas most affected by atmospheric pollution, according to Cecont research, are located around the Bay of Havana, linked to emissions from the Ñico López refinery, the Tallapiedra thermoelectric plant and the Regla generating set.

Old Havana, October 10, Cotorro (basically in the Antillana de Acero), Centro Habana and San Miguel del Padrón are the capital municipalities thatworse air quality they have, the study maintains.

At the beginning of this month, air quality was affected by the large fire that broke out in theSupertanker Base in Matanzas.

The cloud of smoke associated with the powerful fire expanded along the entire northern coast towards the west of the country, causing concern among Havana residents who saw the city's sky darken with polluting clouds.

Several reports on social networks warned of a black rain presumably loaded with pollutants, which was detected in several areas of Havana.

The Minister of Science, Technology and Environment of Cuba (CITMA), Elba Rosa Pérez Montoya, recognized thesevere impact that the fire had had on the environment, and although it did not provide data on the measurements, it warned of the incidence of the “smoke cloud” on air quality, which mainly affected the north of Matanzas, Mayabeque and Havana.

Particulate matter cloud caused by fire It could have been acidified by the absorption on its surface of water vapor and acid gases, such as sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides, with irritating action on the respiratory tract.

The recommendations announced by the minister included the use of a face mask - especially in the case of vulnerable people - and protection from the rain, since with the color of the smoke cloud, the water came out dark.

However,health authorities of Matanzas They previously recommended closing doors and windows and wearing a mask, even inside homes, to avoid the harmful consequences of the smoke associated with the raging fire that hit the industrial zone of that province since Friday, August 5.

Also in previous months, as a consequence of the arrival ofSaharan dustOn the island, the air quality worsened, constituting a danger for many people. Bacteria, staphylococci, mites, fecal components and fungi harmful to agriculture and ocean life are carried with the dust, experts specified on that occasion.