The likelihood of Cyprus’ atmosphere being affected by chemical pollutants carried through dust episodes that may be linked to hostilities in the region is infinitesimal, Head of the Air Quality Section at the Department of Labour Inspection Chrysanthos Savvides told CNA on Wednesday.

Savvides said that, based on scientific data and analyses carried out in the past in two separate cases of hostilities in Syria and Israel, no concentrations of substances associated with the use of chemical weapons were detected.

As he explained, the Department collects dust samples from the atmosphere and sends them for analysis to the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which examines around 40 different chemical substances known to be potentially linked to the use of chemical weapons.

According to the official, even if such substances are present, they are at levels below the detection limit of the instruments, meaning that any infinitesimal concentration in the dust does not result in any measurable impact on air quality.

Savvides said the reason is “simple and scientifically documented”, as these chemical substances have a very short lifespan in the atmosphere and cannot travel such long distances. He added that this applies even more in the case of Iran, which is farther from Cyprus than Syria and Israel.

He said that, for there to be any possibility of Cyprus being affected, two conditions would have to be met at the same time: hostilities would need to be taking place near desert areas and a dust episode would need to develop and move from that area towards Cyprus.Referring to the situation today, the Head of the Air Quality Section said there is currently no dust in the atmosphere, while noting that no impact from such an episode had been recorded in recent days either.