[Trending News] The smell to olives again invaded the nostrils of the inhabitants of the Lisbon region

An olive smell was felt on the morning of Monday by many people in the region of Lisbon and Vale do Tagus. Researcher Sofia Teixeira indicated to the public that the perception of this odor was intensified by the weather conditions and that its most likely origin will be olive bagasse processing factories in Alentejo. The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) issued a statement that mentions this same “bad smell episode in the Lisbon region” and that could happen again at dawn, but with a lower intensity.

“This morning we had an Acre Odor Perception [e de] olive [na região de Lisboa]”, He told Sofia Teixeira, a researcher at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the New University of Lisbon. The expert in atmospheric odor studies indicates that weather conditions, specifically a low thermal inversion, between midnight and 9am, caused a “helmet effect for the imprisonment of odorphic compounds in a lower layer of the atmosphere, which originated this perception of odor. ”

Sofia Teixeira describes this odor with “Acre and olive” characteristics, being very common in olive bagasse processing factories. Since the winds observed come from the Southeast quadrant – that is, winds that come from this direction and arrive in the city of Lisbon – the most likely source of this odor will then be the olive bagasse processing factories located in Alentejo.

The smell will have reached various parts of Lisbon and Tagus Valley, namely Mafra, Odivelas, Lisbon, Almada, Seixal or Setúbal, informs the scientist, from the monitoring made on social networks, which encompasses citizens' reports.

As for the frequency, Sofia Teixeira considers that it has been higher for different reasons. First, it states that the weather conditions that provide that this odor reaches the Lisbon region should be verified more often than previously, such as the Southeast Quadrant Wind, which is not usually dominant in the Lisbon region, and was also verified a year ago. Then he says this is the time of the year following the picking of the olive and where the waste is processed and what is left of this campaign, which causes this smell. Finally, the researcher also considers that we are more awake for this situation: “We are more alert to this issue of air quality.” About a year ago, it was reported that this odor was perceived in Lisbon.

Asked if this may be a public health issue, Sofia Teixeira indicates that, as the broadcaster source will be a few kilometers away, “the biggest impact will be the annoyance.” However, it says studies are needed on the impact of this smell on the communities closer to its origin. “It was important that there could be a legislative guiding guide so that we can act and evaluate with all accuracy, but we have no legislation for odors regarding air quality, such as other European countries,” he says.

APA issued a statement that states that the “bad smell episode in the Lisbon region” is linked to weather conditions, namely a “weak dispersion of the atmosphere, with a layer of abnormally low mixing, at dawn and part of the morning Today, conjunction with the occurrence of weak wind of the Southeast quadrant ”, which led“ to high concentrations of odoriferous compounds in the Greater Lisbon region ”.

In the same note sent to the press, it also indicates that the situation will improve in the afternoon, however, “it may again occur at last dawn, but with less intensity.” The APA also stresses that “continuous and real -time monitoring of air quality in network stations does not reveal any problem of pollutants measured with health effects.” In response to the public, the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-VLV) states that, in articulation with APA, “maintains continuous surveillance of air quality”.