For the second time in less than a month, Guadeloupe was placed on red alert on Wednesday May 8 by the air quality monitoring organization Gwad’air for exceeding concentration thresholds for fine PM10 particles, announced the prefecture.
Air pollution: young children from low-income households are most affected
The forecasts for Wednesday and Thursday are those “exceeding the alert threshold of 80 micrograms per cubic meter over 24 hours” in terms of PM10 fine particle pollution, Gwad’air said in a press release, recalling that after “several consecutive days of exceeding the regulatory thresholds (…) the alert procedure was triggered”.
This pollution is due to “passage of air masses laden with desert dust over our territory” said the prefecture.
Pollution causing breathing difficulties
Guadeloupe is regularly plagued by pollution from sand mists, dust from the Sahara and the Sahel, transported at high altitude by the trade winds to the Antilles and causing thick mists making the air unbreathable.
During their visit, many people feel their eyes sting or their throat dry, or even have breathing difficulties, leading to numerous health recommendations, particularly for vulnerable people, such as young children, the elderly, or pregnant women.
Pollution: mapping in the metro and RER reveals three stations in the red
A study published in 2019 showed a link between the exposure of pregnant women to fine particles and the risk of premature birth in the Antilles.
The phenomenon, which occurs all year round, is however reinforced from April to October in the region. During cyclonic periods, it is a factor in the disorganization of possible storms and cyclones.
#French
