National Environment Agency: Amount of Lead in Air Reduced in Tbilisi
The National Environment Agency of Georgia says that the amount of lead in the air has reduced in the capital for 5 times compared to 2015.
“The amount of lead in the air is in the permissible norm and the information that it has increased does not correspond to the truth. Moreover, in 2016 the amount of lead in Tbilisi decreased by 5 times compared to 2015,” Tamar Bagratia, head of the National Environment Agency stated.
However, Bagratia stressed that the reduction does not refer to the dust level in the capital. She says the highest rate of dust in air was observed on Tsereteli Avenue, Didube District, Tbilisi.
“We have 24 hour monitoring at 4 automatic stations in Tbilisi and the error is 0%. We have stations in Vashlijvari, Tsereteli Avenue, Varketili and Kazbegi Avenue. The data are different according to months and meteorological factors. The highst dust rate was observed on Tsereteli Ave,” she added.
A few days there appeared inscriptions on newly rehabilitated Pekini Avenue in Tbilisi which read –Lead in Air. The initiators of the inscriptions are artists Mariam Natroshvili and Detu Jincharadze, who explain that their main message is to warn citizens about the excessive amount of the lead and other metals in the air.
Lead in Air - means that the air is very polluted. The inscriptions are “traffic signs” which inform the citizens that lead in the air is dangerous for health,” Natroshvili stated.
The Environment Ministry responded to the signs on the streets, saying lead no longer exceeds the permissible limit since2008.
The ministry added that the Environment Agency monitors the lead amount in the air in 4 cities - Tbilisi (since 2008), Rustavi, Batumi and Kutaisi (since 2014).
“According to the 2016 study, the amount of the lead in Tbilisi was reduced to five times since 2015, about 3 times in Batumi, twice in Rustavi and 2 in Kutaisi,” the ministry stated.
The ministry added that significant decrease in the lead amount in 2017 (according to the data of 5 months) continues.
By Thea Morrison
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