Overview
- The state air-quality office measured 385 µg/m3 in Duisburg-Walsum during the first hour after midnight on New Year’s Eve, the highest value recorded in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Essen’s Gladbecker Straße registered 377 µg/m3, while Düsseldorf reached 294 µg/m3, Hagen 287 µg/m3, and Cologne 256 µg/m3.
- The figures, reported on New Year’s Day by the Landesamt für Natur, Umwelt und Klima NRW, reflect sharp short-term increases across multiple cities.
- Officials attribute the spike mainly to widespread fireworks use, with local meteorological conditions strongly influencing the peaks.
- This year’s levels exceed notable New Year readings from recent years in NRW, including 321 µg/m3 in Hagen in 2023 and 381 µg/m3 in Datteln in 2024.