Mo i Rana has gone from red clouds of industrial dust to significantly better air quality. Measurements show a clear positive trend.<\/p>\n
\u201cLevels have improved considerably. That does not mean there are no longer days with high levels of dust, but overall the situation is much better than it used to be,\u201d says Tone Gardsjord, Senior Adviser at Nemko Norlab.<\/p>\n
Among other things, she works with the air quality monitoring programme in Mo i Rana, which tracks changes in airborne particulate matter.<\/p>\n
Dust has a long history in this industrial town. In 1961, red smoke from Norsk Jernverk led to Mo i Rana being nicknamed \u201cthe Red Town\u201d. Several generations of local residents remember, or have heard stories about, clothes that could not be hung outside to dry without turning red.<\/p>\n
Extensive emission-control measures eventually resulted in major improvements. Towards the end of the 1980s and throughout the 1990s, attention increasingly shifted to particulate matter \u2013 the tiny particles that remain suspended in the air. In 2002, continuous monitoring was introduced.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the beginning, extensive measurements were carried out both within the industrial park and at several locations outside it. Over time, we have learned more about where the challenges are greatest,\u201d says Gardsjord.<\/p>\n
In 2003, the first full year of continuous monitoring, 29 days were recorded above the limit value in force at the time. Some of the following years saw even more exceedances.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no doubt that Mo i Rana had a much greater dust problem at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, particulate matter is continuously monitored at the Moheia monitoring station. The location was selected based on previous measurements, which showed that this was where the highest number of exceedances was recorded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe aim is not to achieve the lowest possible readings or make the results look better. We want to obtain as realistic a picture of the air quality as possible,\u201d says Gardsjord.<\/p>\n
The monitoring station is not located directly beside the road. This means it captures the impact of both road traffic and industry, while also being situated close to residential areas.<\/p>\n
The air quality monitoring programme is a collaboration between Rana Municipality, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and local industry. The parties meet regularly in an air quality working group to review monitoring results and discuss measures.<\/p>\n
According to Gardsjord, the improvement is the result of many different measures.<\/p>\n
\u201cA great deal has happened in the industrial park over the past 20 years, including improved emission control, paving of previously gravelled areas and street sweeping. At the same time, the municipality and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration are taking measures on the roads they are responsible for. Everyone contributes in their own way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sweeping and watering are particularly important. Dust that remains on the ground and along roads can dry out and become airborne again when vehicles pass. Spring is therefore often the most challenging period.<\/p>\n
\u201cApril is usually the worst month, but in recent years it has sometimes been March because spring has arrived early. Those responsible have become very aware of the importance of starting street sweeping as early as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many people notice dust settling on cars, windows and garden furniture. Gardsjord emphasizes that it is important to distinguish between coarse, visible dust and the finer airborne particulate matter that can be inhaled deep into the lungs.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoarse dust can be a nuisance because it settles on surfaces. Particulate matter is so fine that it tends to remain suspended in the air, which is why we are particularly concerned with monitoring it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There may be a connection between large amounts of visible dust and elevated levels of particulate matter, particularly during dry periods. However, air quality cannot be assessed simply by looking at how much dust has settled on a car.<\/p>\n
Although the trend is positive, Gardsjord believes it is important to continue monitoring and preventive measures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe measurements show whether we are staying within the required limits and provide a solid basis for assessing further measures. We have come a long way, but we must continue working to reduce both airborne particulate matter and the coarser dust that people experience as a nuisance.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mo i Rana has gone from red clouds of industrial dust to significantly better air quality. Measurements show a clear positive trend. \u201cLevels have improved considerably. That does not mean there are no longer days with high levels of dust, but overall the situation is much better than it used to be,\u201d says Tone Gardsjord, […]","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":40705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2445,2444],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-frontpage_en","category-industriparknytt_en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40713"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40714,"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40713\/revisions\/40714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mip.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}