Bosnia officials warn of ‘dangerous’ air pollution
January 9, 2012
Section: B&H News
(AP) ZENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina — People living in a central Bosnian town have been warned to stay indoors as concentrations of a pollutant in the air are at a dangerously high level.
An official air quality monitoring body warned Friday that Sulfur dioxide pollution in the industrial town of Zenica for the past three days has been three times the European Union limit.
It said the concentration had risen due to unfavorable weather conditions, including the absence of wind that normally disperses the gas.
A representative for the Operational Center for Air Pollution Monitoring, Muhamed Pasic, told The Associated Press that all polluters in the town — including an ArcelorMittal steel mill which is the “greatest polluter” — have been instructed to take measures to reduce SO2 emissions.
SO2 is a pollutant linked to smog and acid rain and is blamed for aggravating asthma and other respiratory difficulties.
About three-quarters of SO2 emissions come from coal-fired power plants, and 20 percent from other industrial facilities.
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com
