We alert once the measurement is bad
However, there is no pre-warning system for joggers and other cyclists. “It is the MRI which issues the alert for carbon monoxide, based on poor chimney draft. And this is currently the case“, explains Christophe Degrave, scientific collaborator at the Interregional Environment Unit (CELINE).
Currently, Mr. Degrave predicts a very likely increase in the concentration of fine particles, “but we cannot yet say whether the information threshold will be exceeded.” The excess must be measured at the level of the measuring zones, and our country has 86 measuring stations.
Air quality has evolved positively in 2024
High concentrations of fine particles promote respiratory problems, cancers, but also strokes and heart attacks.
Not always big cities
Large cities are not always the areas where fine particles concentrate, it depends on the origin of the particles. “This may be poor dispersion conditions, as in the case of an anticyclonic zone accompanied by an absence of wind“, recognizes Mr. Degrave.
But he adds that there are other causes: “This could be the importation of pollutants: for example smoke from Eastern countries or sand from the Sahara; or even the creation of secondary particles.”
The creation of secondary particles is a more rural phenomenon, which occurs in spring: “When there are agricultural sprays and strong sunshine with little wind and poor dispersion conditions, the ammonia from the spray will react with the nitrogen oxides present in the air. This will create particles, particularly ammonium nitrate..”
Here, in winter, pollution could be higher in cities, depending on the contribution of heating. “But when we issue an alert, we do not do it for a single city, it is for an entire Region” specifies Christophe Degrave.
What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Be careful, CO poisoning sometimes only gives mild symptoms (the person keeps a rosy complexion, they do not turn blue), in the case of chronic poisoning.
The problem manifests itself with headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and persistent fatigue. The person becomes out of breath easily, may show signs of mental confusion.
Heart rhythm disturbances, signs of heart attack, or pulmonary edema may occur in people with lung or heart disease.
What should make you think of intoxication? Discomfort in a bathroom with a gas water heater, the fact that the whole family has the same symptoms when they are in a given room and they disappear when they leave the room.
How to react?
The space where an unconscious person is can poison you too. Before even entering, immediately call the emergency services: 100 or 112, specifying that it is probably CO poisoning. Specify whether the victim is conscious or not.
