Alerts over high pollution in Normandy and Paris
Health warnings are in place for vulnerable people
Weather conditions are worsening pollution levels in the north of France. Pictured is Le Havre, coastal city in the Normandy region
Francois BOIZOT/Shutterstock
Warnings are in place over a high level of pollutants in the atmosphere of northern France.
All five departments in the Normandy region are facing warnings, as is the capital and some surrounding departments in the Île-de-France region.
In turn, people are being warned to take caution when outside, particularly if vulnerable – such as if they are asthmatic, elderly, or have cardiovascular or respiratory issues.
Generally, people are being advised to avoid the use of irritants such as deodorants and cleaning products inside their homes, and not to engage in strenuous exercise near busy roads where pollution levels are highest.
Other safety measures include recommendations to use public transport instead of a car for journeys to limit pollutant emissions and spending as little time as possible outdoors when journeying between places.
A PDF from the regional health authorities in Normandy over recommended actions during pollution spikes can be downloaded here.
Recommendations to drive slower in capital
Drivers in Paris are being recommended to lower their speed by 20 km/h, although no official decrees have been put in place requiring this. The police prefecture of the capital did not rule out such measures if the situation continues, however.
The Seine-Maritime department issued an official warning over the pollution levels, along with further advice for both residents and businesses.
Conditions are set to improve in the majority of departments in Normandy tomorrow (March 5) however warnings are still likely to be in place in Seine-Maritime.
Paris and its northern/western suburbs will continue to face high pollution tomorrow, but those in the south and east will see levels lowered.
It is the second time this year warnings of this level have been raised in Normandy.
In January, similar alerts were issued, leading to warnings in Seine-Maritime as well as Eure and Calvados. Speed limits were also lowered in the region as a result of the warnings.
Read more: Warnings over air pollution spike in Normandy
Weather contributes
The alerts were first raised in parts of Normandy on Monday (March 3) before expanding to cover the entire department today (March 4).
At local levels, pollution levels may be even higher.
Fine particles of pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10) caused by human activity – traffic, heating, industry, agriculture etc in the area – are being exacerbated by winds in the north of France.
Read more: Sunny days then storm: French weekly weather outlook March 3 - 7
Further information can be found on the official air quality websites AtmoNormandie and AirParif.
