No sign of higher concentrations of pollution in Bratislava

The National Air Quality Monitoring Network of the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) didn't record increased concentrations of monitored pollutants in Bratislava on Wednesday (February 19), said SHMU's air quality section head Veronika Minarikova in connection with an odour experienced by people in certain parts of Bratislava.

Minarikova stated that there was a leakage of hydrogen sulphide from the site of the former Istrochem chemical plant on Vajnorska Street in Bratislava's borough of Nove Mesto. "Hydrogen sulphide is known for its intense smell - a person can detect it at extremely low concentrations, which is why even a small amount of this substance can be smelt immediately," said Minarikova.

Minarikova stated that hydrogen sulphide is regularly monitored at the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava's borough of Vlcie Hrdlo. She claimed that samples from Wednesday did not show unusually higher concentrations of hydrogen sulphide.

Minarikova continued that in connection with a reported odour in one of the boroughs of Bratislava, a substance with an intense odour that was probably being transported by rail was identified as the cause, adding that due to anticyclonic weather with a lack of wind and poor dispersion conditions in Bratislava on that day, substances with a strong smell lingered in the air for a relatively long time.

On Wednesday, residents in some boroughs of Bratislava, such as the Dubravka, Lamac and Kramare, complained about a smell, but Slovak gas utility SPP-Distribution stated that it wasn't caused by a natural gas leak.

Source TASR