Easter fires: Beware of particulate matter!
One thing is clear: where there is smoke, there is fire, and where there is a fire, there is bound to be air pollution. Easter bonfires release a particularly large amount of particulate matter.
For the first time in a long time due to corona-related restrictions, it is possible to gather around an Easter bonfire this year. But as cosy as it may look, an outdoor fire always releases pollutants. The bigger the pile of wood, the greater the pollution. The Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) has calculated how high the pollution can be: If a pile of garden waste burns for six hours, it produces as many soot particles as 250 old buses emit.
How harmful it actually is for individuals to stand around an Easter bonfire depends, of course, on other factors. If there is a lot of wind, the fine dust is dispersed very quickly; if it rains, it is washed out of the air -- but then the fire is also extinguished.
Easter bonfires, however, are by far not as harmful as New Year's Eve fireworks, where the fine dust content can sometimes rise to 1000 micrograms per cubic metre after midnight. For comparison: the permitted annual average is 50 micrograms per cubic metre.
To minimise the negative impact on air quality, it is advisable to burn only wood for an Easter bonfire that is completely dry and does not contain any plastic or metal parts. It is also best to build up the wood pile only the day before burning so that the risk of the wood getting soaked by rain or animals being able to hide in the pile remains as low as possible. A ban on Easter bonfires is not under discussion, as particulate pollution has remained at a low level for several years, according to Lower Saxony's Ministry of the Environment.
Wherever you are over the holidays, keep track of air quality and all environmental zones with our Green-Zones app!