Beijing is nothing compared to Skopje: Air pollution is too high, four men die each day (PHOTO)

Residents of Macedonian capital have been breathing enormously polluted air. There is no part of the city where air is less polluted, and it goes up to ten times from the allowed limit. It was the most critical in suburb Karpos where measuring stations measured 1218.63 micrograms of murderous PM10, a maximum permissible limit is 50 micrograms per cubic meter.  

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Out of 31 days last month, Skopje has been polluted for 20 days, and it chokes on daily bases today, so the Macedonian capital is even worse than Beijing now for pollution.

Additional problem is the fog, which pressures Skopje for the third time in a row, along side with PM10 particles.

Revolted citizens bitterly say that the government doesn't care about the health of the people, nor they are taking any steps to prevent pollution. Authorities are appealing to people to stay indoors, to use less cars, to watch what they are putting into their stoves, but ecologists point out tat the appeals are not helping at all.

Foto: Skopje Smog Alarm

Health workers are concerned, they warn that four people die each day due to air pollution in Macedonia.

The research showed that suspended particles PM10 are the cause of death for over 1.300 people every year and that there is correlation between air pollution and the number of sick people. The information of the Institute for Public Health in Skopje show that every 10 micrograms of air pollution increases death rate for risk groups by 10%, and the longer the pollution is present, the rate of mortality for chronically sick patients is higher, with those with weak immune system and with people older than 65 years.

- The mortality rate from strokes, cardiovascular disease and lung cancer is twice as high than in other countries. Air pollution is a silent killer in urban areas. Reducing PM10 and PM25 particles to European values would avoid more than 800 deaths a year in Macedonia, says dr. Dragan Djordjiev from the Institute of Public Health.

Foto: Skopje Smog Alarm

(Telegraf.co.uk / D.J.)