Air quality to worsen in coming days, CAMS warns

Europe’s air‑quality watchdog has sounded the alarm: conditions are set to worsen across several countries, including Ireland, over the next few days, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), said the downturn stems from a continent‑wide upswing in fine particulate pollution, known as PM2.5.

PM2.5 pollution is made up of tiny, nano‑sized organic compounds, roughly one thirtieth the width of a human hair.

So small they can cross the lung’s air‑blood barrier, these particles travel to multiple organs and, over time, raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Air pollution forecast from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service

Chemical reactions that convert ammonia into aerosols and fine particulates intensify under stable weather, when mornings are cold and afternoons warmer—a familiar springtime pattern.

Higher concentrations of birch and alder tree pollen also play a role.

CAMS forecasts that Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK and Ireland will see reduced air quality from this phenomenon over the coming days.

Background pollution tied to fossil‑fuel combustion—especially in parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans—remains a steady drag on regional air quality.

Laurence Rouil, Director of CAMS said: “Forecasts show that ground level fine particulate concentrations are likely to increase over the coming days.

“Agricultural ammonia emissions combined with nitrogen oxide emissions from other sectors like road transport, are expected to be a major contributor to PM2.5 formation, causing increased concentrations of fine particles in the atmosphere of the affected areas.

“Whilst this situation is not unusual in spring, it is notable and can be intensified by stable and mild meteorological conditions and atmospheric inversions.”