Shocking images from Attica

While the thick clouds of dust covering the sky were visible from the morning, as the hours passed the images became increasingly eerie with one area after another being painted orange by the African dust.

Images that refer to the desert… Sahara are the ones you see in most of the country, as there is high concentration of African dust in the atmosphere.

On Tuesday afternoon, images from across the Attica basin showed the sky “painted” an eerie dark orange hue.

Acropolis, Lycabettus, OAKA as well as other parts of Attica can barely be seen, as you can see in the images below, with the atmosphere being particularly stuffy.

According to the latest forecasts of the Copernicus service, from Wednesday morning and mainly from midday onwards, concentrations of African dust are expected to decrease significantly from the country, as noted by the director of the EMY, Thodoris Kolidas.

For the next few days and until Saturday, westerly, northwesterly winds are expected to prevail, which, according to Mr. Kolydas, prevent the “visit” of African dust.

How it affects our health

African dust affecting Greece is a relatively frequent phenomenon, particularly when meteorological conditions favor the transport of dust particles from the Sahara desert.

The frequency and intensity of African dust phenomena in Greece can vary from year to year, from 7 to 20 episodes (average 13 episodes/year), depending on atmospheric conditions and the amount of dust transported from the Sahara. Generally, it is not uncommon for Greek space to be affected by African dust.

This natural event can have significant effects on the health of the inhabitants of our country, mainly through the degradation of air quality.

The dust carries particles in a wide range of sizes, such as PM 10, PM 2.5 or even much smaller, while it can also entrain pollutants from the atmosphere. An increase in particulate matter in the atmosphere can worsen respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis and allergies.

People with pre-existing respiratory conditions are particularly vulnerable during periods of increased dust levels and this is reflected in increased hospital admissions. Special attention is required for residents of urban centers and areas with already low air quality, reports the Hellenic Pulmonology Society.