Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - The New Year's Eve fireworks in the southwest not only provided a colorful spectacle in the sky - but also thick air. Particulate matter pollution rose significantly around midnight in many places in the state, according to data from the Baden-Württemberg State Institute for the Environment (LUBW) on Sunday.

In Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, for example, fine dust pollution (PM10) on Sunday morning averaged around 49 micrograms per cubic meter over the past 24 hours - and was thus just below the limit of 50 for health protection Lake Constance even exceeded the value of 100 at times.

At Stuttgart Central Station (measuring station Arnulf-Klett-Platz), the average fine dust value over the past 24 hours in the morning was 37 micrograms per cubic meter - Constance (35) and Tübingen (28.6) also showed significantly increased fine dust pollution compared to the previous days . In Stuttgart and Constance, the air pollution with fine dust on New Year's Eve was also temporarily above the value of 100, in Tübingen only slightly below.

Particulate matter is considered a health hazard and bad for the environment. According to the Federal Environment Agency in Germany, around 2050 tons of fine dust are released every year when fireworks are set off - most of them on New Year's Eve. Inhaling fine dust is a health hazard and affects the respiratory tract, for example. In addition, the amount of waste and the stress on animals caused by fireworks are criticized.