Smog Engulfs Oskemen: Multiple Pollutants Exceed Limits

Oskemen has been under second-degree adverse weather conditions for several days, with thick gray smog hanging over the city, Orda.kz reports.

According to Kazhydromet, air monitoring on November 17 showed elevated levels of two pollutants:

• Hydrogen sulfide — 2.6 times above the limit
  
• Sulfur dioxide — 1.373 times above the limit

On the morning of November 18, environmental specialists conducted additional measurements in the industrial zone and surrounding sanitary protection areas. The list of exceedances grew.

Levels above the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) were recorded for:

• Sulfur dioxide — 1.940×
  
• Hydrogen sulfide — 1.863×
  
• Carbon monoxide — 1.078×

The East Kazakhstan Regional Department of Ecology reported that the adverse weather conditions are expected to persist until 8:00 p.m. on November 19.

Between 00:00 and 13:40 on November 18, one-time MPC exceedances were recorded at several monitoring stations across the city:

• Post No. 1 (6 Rabochaya St.): hydrogen chloride (1.1×), phenol (1.9×)
• Post No. 3 (19 Serikbayev St.): hydrogen sulfide (24 cases, up to 1.3×)
• Post No. 4 (44 Shirokaya St.): hydrogen sulfide (1.1×)
• Post No. 5 (30 K. Kaisenov St.): hydrogen chloride (1.1×), phenol (1.1×)
• Post No. 7 (126 M. Tynyshpayev St.): carbon monoxide (1.0×), hydrogen chloride (1.9×)
• Post No. 8 (6 Yegorova St.): hydrogen chloride (1.7×)

Original Author: Elena Medvedeva