Wildfires in France are causing the concentrations of dangerous air pollutants in Bordeaux to spike well above safe levels, Richard Pope, an atmospheric scientist, told CNN on Monday.
““In recent days, Bordeaux has experienced PM2.5 (a key air pollutant) concentrations (greater than) 100 µg/m3 while the World Health Organization daily safety exposure threshold is 15 µg/m3,” said Pope, an academic at the University of Leeds in England.”
Residents in Bordeaux told CNN they are grappling with smoke and poor air quality stemming from the wildfires raging in southwestern France. Some have voluntarily fled despite no evacuation waring in place for the city. “There’s a smell of smoke and ashes everywhere,” one resident said.
Meanwhile in Spain, smoke is moving away from Madrid’s metropolitan area, reducing air quality concerns in the city “for now,” Pope said. Nevertheless, he added that across both countries the “widespread smoke observed from space has degraded air quality and increased health risks for millions.”
