Asthma sufferers in Sydney have been warned to stay indoors by health authorities in Australia. A thick veil of bushfire smoke has settled across the region. Sydney’s air quality deteriorated to the world’s worst on Tuesday. The NSW Environment’s measurements of air quality read, 2334 at 9 am in Sydney’s North West. It is almost 20 times worse than in Beijing and Jakarta.
The above reading makes Sydney’s air quality the worst in the world. It becomes twice as bad as the air quality in Kolkata which was 999 according to the real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) levels.
The safe levels are between 34-66 on the AQI scale. The residents of Sydney are thus being asked to take care of themselves. Jakarta, known for having high pollutants in its air, measures at 119 in the AQI with Beijing being higher at 155. The thick and brown smog from a fire in Wollemi National Park could be smelt throughout Sydney.
The east, southwest and northwest parts of the city are choking from the hazardous air while other regions are struggling with very poor and poor ratings. PM 2.5 and PM 10 sit at 2334 particulates per cubic metre of air in Sydney’s North West, 640 in Central Coast and 551 in the East.
There is a possibility that the particles can trigger respiratory problems for people suffering from emphysema, angina and asthma. They have been advised to remain indoors, take reliever medication if necessary and to avoid exercise. They have also been advised to cover their mouth and nose with a mask.
The particles in the air can cause sore eyes, throat and nose. Gabriele Branescu, duty forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology told The Daily Telegraph that the haze will be persistent throughout the afternoon and will subside only to make a comeback by Wednesday.
