Overview
- Shortly after midnight on January 1, stations measured peaks of 385 µg/m³ in Duisburg-Walsum and 377 µg/m³ on Essen’s Gladbecker Straße.
- Further high readings included 294 µg/m³ in Düsseldorf (Corneliusstraße), 287 µg/m³ in Hagen (Graf-von-Galen-Ring), and 256 µg/m³ in Cologne (Turiner Straße).
- The reported concentrations were several times above the EU daily mean limit of 50 µg/m³ and surpassed previously noted New Year highs from 2023.
- Local reporting links the surge to concentrated consumer fireworks over inner-city areas, producing short-lived pollution plumes around the turn of the year.
- A national overview from the Umweltbundesamt indicates elevated levels in parts of southern Germany such as Munich and Freiburg, with comparatively lower readings in Berlin and notable spikes in some northern cities including Bremen and Hamburg.