Smoke and Smog in Kyiv: How Dangerous Is It And How Long Will It Last?

The entirety of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was blanketed in smoke on April 16, and specialists recorded anomalous levels of air pollution in the city. Hromadske looked into this situation. We’ll tell you its cause, the danger, and how long it may last.

Why is there smoke in the capital?

On April 16, specialists in Kyiv noted a high level of fire remains and smoke in the air. That same day, Kyiv and its suburbs were hit by a duststorm. That’s why, on the night of April 17, according to air quality tracking site IQAir, Kyiv was propelled to the top of the list of the World’s Most Polluted Cities. Air pollution in Kyiv was rated at 182 points – while the average pollution level is around 50. In some neighborhoods, air pollution reached 400 points.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine stated that the reason for this smog and the rise in dangerous air particulates was due to fires – fires caused by people burning dead grass and trash in Kyiv and the surrounding region.

“There indeed is a rise in dangerous particulates, but it is what it is. Yes, for the past few days in the Kyiv region, in the Chernobyl [Exclusion] Zone, and even in Kyiv itself, there were a lot of fires in ecosystems, and all of this contributed to the remains of fire in the atmospheric layers that we’ve observed,” said Viktoria Ruban, press secretary of the State Emergency Service, in a comment to hromadske.

Emergency workers explained that due to the direction of the wind and atmospheric pressure in Kyiv, a perfect environment was formed for the spread of fire remnant particulates in the air.

Is this smoke from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone?

Mykola Kulbida, director of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, said that the remains of fires that have been ongoing in the Exclusion Zone could not have reached Kyiv. He explained that on April 16, windspeed rose in the north of the Kyiv region – in the Exclusion Zone. But it had a north-western direction, that is, the opposite direction from Kyiv. The meteorologist said that the the air pollution and smoke in the country’s capital was due to dust storms and the movement of smoke from the Zhytomyr region – to the west of Kyiv.

Ivan Kovalets, head of the Department of Environmental Informatics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, stated that the smokiness in Kyiv at the moment was due to pollution inside and around the city, and not specifically smoke from fires in the Exclusion Zone.

“This is a constant problem [of pollution], but previously it occured in September. At that time, there was a lot of dry flora, but in the spring after the snows there was enough dampness and this problem didn’t occur,” commented Kovalets to hromadske. “Even if the smokiness comes from Chernobyl, even if there really are forest fires there. In order for the radiation levels to increase, air pollution in Kyiv would have to increase not a hundred times, like on the 8th or 9th of April, but a million times.”

How dangerous is the situation?

The State Emergency Service insists that the smoke not pose a chemical or radioactive threat, and that the radiation levels in Kyiv and the region remain within acceptable limits. But Kovalets says that even though Ukraine monitors air pollution levels in the country, there has been no in-depth research on the exact causes of pollution and in what quantities. According to him, specialists are still only focused on researching the effects of different pollutants. He notes that it’s necessary to investigate the different factors of pollution, and in particular to combine the monitoring of the current situation with models of the future, and to separate the different sources of pollution. That is, so far it is difficult to answer the how and why’s of air pollution, and there are no concrete answers as of yet on its effect on humans.

What are medical workers saying?

Maksym Stepanov, the current Minister of Health, advised Kyiv residents to stay indoors (especially in the mornings), keep their windows closed, drink two to three liters of water a day and to perform ‘wet’ cleanings more often. (Wet cleaning here refers to wiping down floors and surfaces with a wet rag or mop, and to allow the surfaces to air dry naturally – ed.) He added that the smoke in the air can cause:

• Headaches
• Difficulty breathing
• Coughs
• Eye irritation

For those reasons, the Ministry of Health asks people to stay home not just because of the coronavirus quarantine, but because of the smoke as well. The Ministry marked that this advice is especially aimed at people with heart problems.

How long can this all last?

The weather in Ukraine has been dry recently, and only on April 20 will there be small rains in some of Ukraine’s regions, said meteorologist Vladyslav Bilyk. Bilyk, a department head at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, commented that the capital will continue to see smoke for the next few days.

“There isn’t going to be any serious change in weather conditions for the near future. Ukraine will be rainfall-free for the weekend of April 18, 19, 20. On April 19 and 20, the south and the north of the Left Bank will see small rains, with air temperatures of around 13-15 degrees [Celcius],” noted Bilyk, adding that there will be no significant rains.

He also stated that the dust storms that Kyiv residents noticed on April 16 occured due to the dry winter.

“The topsoil turned into dust due to the minimal humidity. The wind then picked up this dust to a height of nearly 100 meters, which is why Kyiv residents saw this phenomenon known as a dust storm,” explained the meteorologist.

He also said that masks – required as a result of the coronavirus quarantine – also block a significant portion of dust, which is why they absolutely need to be worn if someone goes outside.

There is one small comfort in all this: the Hydrometeorological Center says that increased wind speed is not expected in the regions affected by burning grass, turf, and forest – wind speed is not expected to exceed 7-12 meters per second. So the fires and the smoke aren’t expected to spread very quickly.