![[Joao Luiz Bulcao / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/115049615/f54c9e499033b5c94f4a2a7601663ea8d68a9263000291860a41843edd625bee)
Overview
- Copernicus warns of elevated PM2.5 across parts of France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
- Air Pays de la Loire forecasts degraded to bad air quality in Sarthe, including Le Mans, peaking on Saturday, March 21, with deterioration beginning Friday.
- The episode is linked to fertilizer spreading that emits ammonia, alongside contributions from road transport, wood heating and industry.
- Stable sunshine and limited atmospheric mixing are expected to trap pollutants and boost ozone, worsening indices in coastal departments.
- Rising birch and alder pollen will add to the burden, and public health authorities tie air pollution to respiratory and cardiovascular harm, including about 40,000 premature deaths annually in France.