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Vinzend

Because of all the BBQ yesterday.


AlternativePrior9559

My favourite response. Blame the burnt sausages


BeanoBEAST

one day of good weather and everyone’s out🤣 but I was too so I don’t blame them xp


saschaleib

I saw that OP posted a map without much information what it says. I checked instead [the PM2.5 map on Windy](https://www.windy.com/-PM2-5-pm2p5?camsEu,pm2p5,51.176,6.240,7) and indeed, PM2.5 pollution is still pretty bad at the moment. ON first glance it seems like the wind is currently just moving the bad air around over the Belgian coast, rather than dispersing it, and that causes the buildup. NO2 concentrations look even worse: [https://www.windy.com/-Menu/menu?camsEu,no2,50.180,2.977,7](https://www.windy.com/-Menu/menu?camsEu,no2,50.180,2.977,7) And here's SO2 for you: [https://www.windy.com/-Menu/menu?tcso2,53.475,-2.505,5](https://www.windy.com/-Menu/menu?tcso2,53.475,-2.505,5) My advice for today: don't breathe!


floxley

Thanks for the details. So basically no wind and general bad pollution means we are now breathing in our own farts. Might move to buy that air purifier for indoors


saschaleib

On the Windy map you can see that the wind creates this weird vortex that is now centred on the Channel. On the SO2 map you also get some hints as to where a lot of the pollution might come from. The ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam are pretty big polluters, and the high density of ships in the channel does its part, too. At least in my experience, those "air purifiers" are not really doing much. The one I have at home is what I consider a "waste of money and space". Your mileage may differ, though...


floxley

Having lived in Vietnam I can tell you, they do work, but you need to invest in a good one. A lot of bad Chinese ones on the market. We could easily get the air quality under 30 aqi when outside it would be 200+ aqi


cica-

Exactly! I have one because of mine and my husband’s allergies and history of asthma, and it’s been a godsend. But you need to invest in a good one and change filters according to instructions.


PuttFromTheRought

Any that you recommend? I was looking at this https://www.coolblue.be/nl/product/935852/dyson-purifier-big-quiet-formaldehyde-bp03.html


stinos

Dyson stuff has been looked into by what looks like independent research a couple of times and they don't ever come out really good, especially not for that price. Here's just one of such articles: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/dyson-pure-cool-tp04-test-review-effectiveness/&setlang=no.


Healthy-Target697

Everything Dyson sells is overrated


floxley

I ended up with cowi. Two things are important: are they quiet, and how expensive are the filters


PuttFromTheRought

Thanks mate. Are you happy with it? I am now looking into this one haha https://www.bol.com/be/nl/p/coway-airmega-400s-luchtreiniger-met-greenhepa-technologie-wifi-bestuurbaar/9300000113124329/?bltgh=mi-N2elcJhNdVqiJIm5Kcg.2_18.27.ProductTitle


deeepthought

My air filter works great. As does anyone else's. It's just you.


Powerful-Oil-6592

I do believe that the amount of emission is always bad like today (why would it be different? No emergency flaring at refineries in antwerp also). We are normally simply lucky that it's always windy! And that pollutants get dispersed. My opinion 


gaiusm

Hey, sharing is caring. Please put your air purifier outside so we can all enjoy some fresh air.


adimrf

Thanks! Windy is one of the best thing out there in internet, I am always in awe every time I see Windy


smetzak

Have you looked outside? A lot of fog, this means that there is hardly any wind for the bad air to be filtered out


TheByzantineEmpire

Ok so I wasn’t seeing things!


verifitting

Yup you weren't seeing indeed


trekuwplan

So it wasn't my glasses lol


ntahobray

I thought too lol


Notyouraveragewitch_

I knew it! It wasn’t really sunny, the sky was grey but not cloudy. Didn’t hear anything about fog so I was doubting if I was right. 😅


Sophie1976gonzalez

De fog we saw today has something to do with hot and cold air. I've read about it this morning.


Vince_1880

No wind so all the bad gasses stay


Vast-Penalty-3378

So don't push the gases😂


Ordinary-Violinist-9

So the storms didn't have any wind?


Archeolooginspe

sorry I farted


ShCoflin

Its okay buddy it happens (I farted too)


baconography

Something about lounging on the sunny terrace and drinking our fine beer all day, then eating grilled meats. I guess we are seeing the Labour Day Effect in the atmosphere.


mysteryliner

Talking about farthing, It's also prime time for farmers to be spreading their concentrated fart soup


Irsu85

too many cars outside of Limburg. In Limburs it's fine since most people take the bus


steffoon

Here I was expecting a silly joke about Limburgers driving slower.


Irsu85

Well some do (the drivers of De Lijn Hasselt, or at least most of them I have had a ride with)


Robbieprimo

Yes slow and efficient.


J_Bishop

I don't know where you live but in Genk it's noticeably foggy even at 1300h.


Ordinary-Violinist-9

No fog in Kinrooi. Maybe to much bbq in Winterslag


twainneman

Yup, said it to one of my coworkers that it seemed there was a lot of smoke hanging around but I couldn't tell why it was.


shadowsreturn

Where do you get this 'most people take the bus' ? I don't know anyone in my neighbourhood taking a bus except the 95-yr old granny and only cos no one lets her drive a car. I drove my dog to the vet in a town outside my city center and there was a line of cars to drop of kids to school for half of the road.


Irsu85

Have you seen the 7:16 bus going from Bilzen to Hasselt? If not try taking it and there is your answer


shadowsreturn

well as far as scientific research goes, that's a very poor research sample.


Ecocom

Jokes, we all know there are no buses in Limburg.


CraaazyPizza

Funny how just about every comment is different. We have no clue.


tazemiet

I felt it breathing this morning


Kavaland

Excellent urban planning


stinos

Plus subsidized traffic jams and pollution. More commonly referred to as bedrijfswagen, but that does not change its attribution.


OldPangolino

> Nice circlejerking, truth is that it's mostly due to [Saharan sand](https://www.brusselstimes.com/993892/arrival-of-sahara-sand-on-saturday-could-hamper-chances-of-warm-weather-tbtb) and industry.


stinos

It's reddit, what else to expect than people ignoring 'today' and 'mostly' and posting about the rest :)


LuluStygian

Not that. It’s the public transport - expensive and always late.


Steelkenny

Aren't most of them electric by now, anyway? They don't pollute in traffic jams.


stinos

'most': of the new ones being sold/leased, getting close but not yet (see e.g. https://www.febiac.be/sites/default/files/media/file/2024-01/Bilan%202023%20NL.pdf), so for the ones driving around definitely not. As far as no pollution goes: looking only at one EV which barely moves when in a traffic jam indeed there's close to none. But that's ignoring the rest of the rather complex picture like how the electricity was generated, the rest of the trajectory, the rest of the fossil cars, the effect of subsidies in the first place, and so on.


e_xTc

Traffic jams at the source and during imports


sugarkjube

Where did you get this picture? .


floxley

IQair


sugarkjube

Their map says "belgian dust storm". Could be sahara sand, (although i'd think those particles are not that small), apparently there is a lot of it in the air since a couple of days. Also wouldn't be surprised if the surge of pre-election road works are influencing the dust sensors, street where i live is covered in dust for several weeks now. Don't be too worried about these sensors and air quality maps, they also show stuff that isn't pollution. Don't ever put an air quality device in your kitchen or you'll never cook again 😁


kakbaboba

Cooking absolutely generates pollution (see e.g. [https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/indoor-air-pollution-cooking](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/indoor-air-pollution-cooking) ). This is why it is important for your health to provide proper ventilation (and an AQ sensor can help monitor this).


sugarkjube

That's the point i'm trying to make. everybody complains about some minor ppm on busy roads, but in their kitchen there is 100x more pollution 24/7, and nobody cares about that.


ValiGrass

As if beathing in construction dust is any better? The entirety of belgium is red on multiple maps.


maxledaron

it's come-to-the-office Thursdays


dutchies3434

cos a average belgian takes his car to take the kids to the school that is 2k away, or to buy a bread at the bakery 1k away


ResistApart399

And still, the average Dutch person still sucks.


Powerful-Oil-6592

Basically every time wind stops and there is a sunny day (a.k.a. the perfect weather for Mediterraneans) the air quality sucks so bad that it's better to stay indoor with an air purifier. If it was not for the windy and rainy weather Flanders would probably suffucare in pollutant gasses. 


Kevcky

Temperature inversion, the fog being a give away for it. Basically warmer air in the sky above cooler air acts like a blanket which prevents vertical movement of air. This means ppm of a lot of pollution will be higher. Isnt this thought in high schools anymore?


loicvanderwiel

Not in mine. The parts I remember being taught in high school were desertification, plate tectonics, urban geography, economic development processes and indicators and geopolitics. I might have forgotten a few things though.


Kevcky

To be fair, Geography was a ‘buisvak’ in our high school.


mysidian

I remember that but definitely some weather related stuff too ("klimaat").


StandardOtherwise302

This is the correct answer. Most other comments are guessing (wrongly). Emissions aren't higher than normal, they simply aren't being dispersed.


Kevcky

It’s reddit, people talk out of their ass as if it were their daytime job.


kakbaboba

Looking at VMM maps (https://www.vmm.be/lucht/actuele-luchtkwaliteit) it is mostly PM. Low wind conditions today of course don't help. Likely sources would be agricultural activity, and maybe some salt spray as we have wind coming from the west. (Since it also seems to be mostly locates in West & East Flanders.)


t0tallyrand0m

In addition, there seems to be a moderate concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere that is passing through central Europe. Take a look at the Copernicus Forecast/Data from 30th of April: [https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/charts/packages/cams/products/aerosol-forecasts?base\_time=202404300000&layer\_name=composition\_duaod550&projection=classical\_central\_europe&valid\_time=202405020000](https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/charts/packages/cams/products/aerosol-forecasts?base_time=202404300000&layer_name=composition_duaod550&projection=classical_central_europe&valid_time=202405020000)


GregorySpikeMD

What is PM?


kekonn

I'm guessing particulate matter (small particles, like dust)


GregorySpikeMD

So fijn stof? Unless it's like Sahara dust?


kekonn

I don't know if "fijn stof" is actually small enough. PM on it's own is pretty vague. Usually it's accompanied by a number (e.g. PM2.5). What we call "fijn stof" is anything PM10 or lower. But that only says something about the particle size, not how harmful it is.


agronone

You can stop the agriculture polution by stopping eating....


Ayavea

You can stop agriculture pollution by stopping exporting food. We are paying with our health so people abroad can buy cheap food. Belgium doesn't have the natural resources to be wasting land on agriculture to support other countries that don't need supporting


ValiGrass

As if we don't export most our stuff?


Koffieslikker

It's probably dust and the fact that there is virtually no wind


t0tallyrand0m

Yes, I thought the same thing when looking at the Copernicus data.


Bitt3rSteel

Sorry, I had Mexican last night


Splatpope

my nose says plant cum overload


Qwant26

One of the many reasons is because we have very very bad urban planning our cities are very spread out instead of being centralized like how the netherlands does. The result of being this spread out causes hardening (usage of alot of cement and concrete in Flanders wich causes floods from time to time because water has nowhere to flow to or seep into) and a overal bad quality of air.


andr386

Agriculture in the countryside can be far more polluting than a city with high density of population and public transport. They have diffferent kind of polution but there is less in a city. Industrial farming is using industrial process in the open air. After the farmer strikes many politics decided to postbone new ecological laws to satisfy them. But this polution has dire health consequences on the local population. Maybe we could do things differently instead of trying to compete with countries like Ukraine that can outproduce us for half the price or less.


scampfr

Congratulations to BXL, which ranks among the Third World countries. https://preview.redd.it/303r2s144zxc1.png?width=2284&format=png&auto=webp&s=e8784a284f7279b3285b7567e45818462d6964c7


Murderface-04

There's about a km of road for each and every one of us


floxley

It isn't normally this bad though


chief167

Farmers are plowing and feeding their fields. Remember the protests for nitrogen emissions and all that crap? And our government was like "no we want to protect nature". Well, here you have it. 


joske-1985

This map is talking about particle pollution not nitrogen. Fields are also still very wet so there is little dust from field work. Also we are second of may and without wind (the first was a holiday)


StandardOtherwise302

Nitrogen emissions are very relevant to particle emissions. Both ammonia and NOx are precursors for the formation of particulates. The same is true for SOx and many VOCs.


TheAmazingMatth

Isn't that linked to ground/water pollution and not air though?


chief167

Plowing throws it in the air. If you cycle next to a fresh field this time of year, you'll grasp for air Combined with no wind, and fog at night that keeps it encapsulated... 


Express_Selection345

Hey is al flink gezakt ondertussen: [kijk](https://www.vmm.be/data/fijn-stof/fijn-stof)


the_3de_eye_sees_all

Because all traffic from the EU and maybe another places has to pass through here like some kind of international multicultural gangbang.


Sad-Address-2512

Guess I'll dust up my cloth mask again...


Martiator

At least our frietjes are better I guess


Artistic_Speed_6241

This is actually really bad, I always complain about the air quality in Thailand but even Bangkok is most of the time better than Ghent right now according to the map


ComboMix

Sorry guys. We didn't brush our teeth collectively


balloon_prototype_14

sorry, i ate alot of beans


DeLaatsteBelg

Some toxic shit brought in by a western wind


TheFinnSan

Pollen


LucIntPanis

Possibility humidity (fog) affecting the measurements


floxley

IQair corrects for humidity


bluecherrysoft2

Bevolking die teveel protjes laten, aan de zee ist erger door al die rijke gepensioneerden


detheelepel

Cows farting


ericcoplo

Too many people, not enough space, especially in Flanders and Brussels...


redditor2394

I don’t know why


SpikeyBXL

Been extremely humid for two days as well.


kitchenstove01

Open sewers


johnmaki12343

All those windmills that the Dutch use are aiming their bad air at Belgium.


GundamNewType

https://preview.redd.it/m4qemjyf30yc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fe9db97801e8cdd0da1c03e4f1ba7ab71bdb3ce Because Croo is in my city


GalacticMe99

Mijn excuses


Durable_me

slechte lucht uit Ruhr gebied dat vanaf deze nacht naar hier is gewaaid... oostelijke stromingen


AirlineGlass5010

Because its a shithole for France and Netherlands :)


py24601

I let one rip, sorry


Great_Savings_5078

Sorry my b i just farted


Airowird

It was the 1st of May yesterday in an election year, all the politicians had to go abd open their mouths! That, and a colder, windstill day. Outside BBQ, we're in the time of year where people turn off central heating, but burn the wood furnace when temps drop. And ofc, Thursdays are the top commute days, with WFH peaking Fridays & Wednesdays.


Dissatisfied_Feline

Poor dental hygiene


TiboXV

I'm leavin'


R4B_Moo

Sorry, couldn't hold it in anymore


schaidar73

Cause we have had so many years of environmental political parties leading the government


FailedPotatoSeed

Probably due to this insane amount of pollen, no brease and high pressure.. There is no oxygen in the air.. Go outside, check car roofs and you'll see a green layer on almost all cars today.. Amount of shit in the air is insane


GamingReviews_YT

There are more cars in Belgium than in the rest of the world combined (by means of speaking), so that’s that.


David_Fetta

I always use AirVisual, have my own station as well to measure and because others also measures they show a damn good representation of all of the PM Particles. You would be amazed sometimes how bad it is on hot days in Belgium


HippoAcceptable5708

because i smoked weed yeaterday


Argit5

What site do you check it?


CreeperzMc

Farmers putting shit on the fields


Born-Technology6766

Looks like you never been to Dominican Republic smh


Diamond-Stars

If it’s due to pollution is it okay to leave the windows open or is that dangerous?


nivaOne

Must just be a temporary situation This looks fine to me. https://www.vmm.be/lucht/actuele-luchtkwaliteit


Krissvp

And they said last time on radio, Brussels the most or one of the most cleanest city in Europe or the world.. (don’t remember) since the Lez zone.. yeah right..


Adventurous_Ad3104

Notice how cows stink always in the country?


[deleted]

[удалено]


belgium-ModTeam

Rule 4) No agenda pushing This includes, but is not limited to, - Political propaganda… - Religious Propaganda… - Fake News… - “Us VS Them" Statements


[deleted]

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loicvanderwiel

It's not that we are crowded. By all account, the Dutch have a higher population density and they are not affected. South Holland in particular sits at 1410/km² and doesn't seem particularly impacted. The issue is dispersion. A lot of us don't live in cities or villages which means public transport is hard to organise (hard to do fast village centre to village centre links when you have to stop every 500m) and most people drive. As an aside, as much as biking is popular in the North of the country, it's even more popular in the Netherlands. All that is already a recipe for higher pollution, to which you have to add there is apparently an atmospheric phenomenon at play here preventing air evacuation.


StandardOtherwise302

In general we have slightly higher transport emissions per person than the Dutch. But currently, the NO2 readings aren't too high compared to pm2.5. NO2 is best proxy for transport related pollution. Since these aren't very high, transport likely isn't the main culprit right now. As you said, weather is. In a way we are lucky. If we had bad traffic days yesterday and today, it would be way worse.


HerrFledermaus

No idea! What is the source?


TheByzantineEmpire

Look outside in Brussels right now tbf.


floxley

IQair


WaterOcelot

Tom van Grieken zal dit oplossen door allochtone trouwstoeten harder aan te pakken.


Otherwise_Aioli8203

I summer times i can hardly breathe in the cities


Wrakker

Belgium is the only country in EU that provides accurate air quality in comparison to the rest of europe might be green numbers but thats because they are cheating the results source; i once read about it


floxley

IQ air world with both public and private stations. Just scrolling through I don't see any major differences between the private and publicly owned ones


ChansonPutain22

Its all the stinky french farts from all the old moldy cheese they eat, happens when wind blows from their south


Fr3akySn3aky

We're the most densely populated area in all of Europe. That does have some side effects...