The toxic cloud from the Oreokastro fire has reached Attica: how to protect yourself from the smoke

Smoke from a major fire at a waste treatment plant in Oreokastro has spread far beyond Thessaloniki. Experts talk about the presence of small particles in Attica, recommending residents to limit contact with outside air.

The toxic cloud that formed after a major fire at a waste treatment plant in Oreokastro near Thessaloniki, according to experts, has reached Attica.

We are not talking about the dense black smoke that was visible over Thessaloniki, but about the transfer of small polluting particles by air currents over significant distances.

The fire broke out on the evening of July 4 in the Filothea Oreokastro area. The fire engulfed a materials processing facility as well as nearby industrial facilities. More than 160 firefighters, 52 vehicles, foot units, aircraft and helicopters participated in the operation. The main forest front was contained, but the burning continued on the territory of the processing plant due to the nature of the materials. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

What exactly got into the air

When plastics, textiles, oils and mixed wastes burn, fine PM2.5 particles, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other combustion products may be released into the atmosphere. Some of them may pose a risk to the respiratory system, especially in high concentrations near the fire.

According to Nikos Thomaidis, a professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Athens, particles associated with the fire were also found in Attica. At the same time, their concentration decreases with distance from Oreokastro, so the situation in Attica is not comparable with the conditions in which the residents of Thessaloniki and the surrounding areas found themselves.

Important: the statement that particles were transported to Attica does not mean that the entire region was in the same danger zone. The actual risk depends on the direction of the wind, the local concentration of pollution, the time spent outdoors and the health status of the individual.

Why is a fire at a processing plant more dangerous than a regular forest fire?

In a forest fire, the main load is usually smoke, carbon monoxide and soot particles. When plastic, packaging, oils, textiles and other industrial materials ignite, the range of contaminants becomes much more complex.

Firefighters in Oreokastro worked in special protective equipment. A fire service representative noted that the burning object was emitting thick toxic smoke and carbon monoxide, and rescuers required protective masks to prevent respiratory damage.

In the Thessaloniki area, smoke was seen and felt particularly strongly. The authorities, through the 112 system, sent messages to residents of certain areas with recommendations to take measures to protect themselves from smoke, and some settlements were temporarily evacuated.

What should the residents of Attica do?

For most residents of Attica, it is primarily about reasonable precautions, and not about panic. If the air feels unusually heavy, there is a burning smell, or there are official air quality warnings, experts advise reducing your time outdoors.

• If possible, keep windows and balcony doors closed;
• do not engage in intense training outdoors;
• postpone long walks with small children;
• monitor the well-being of people with asthma, COPD, and cardiovascular diseases;
• if there is a strong smell of smoke, do not ventilate the apartment “for fresh air”, because freshness on such days is often quite conditional;
• Check official air quality reports and recommendations from local authorities.

How to use conditioner

Air conditioning can help you survive the heat and closed windows, but only when operated correctly. It’s important to include recirculation of internal airand not the influx mode from the street. Otherwise, the system may draw polluted air into the room.

The World Health Organization also recommends that during episodes of severe air pollution, reduce the entry of outdoor smoke indoors, keep windows closed, and use recirculating cooling systems, if provided. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Air conditioner filters are worth checking and cleaning, but a regular household air conditioner is not a complete system for purifying the air from all pollutants. It reduces the flow of outside air, but does not turn the apartment into a sealed laboratory, no matter how much humanity loves to expect the impossible from household appliances.

Who should be especially careful

The most sensitive to smoke and fine particles are:

• children;
• elderly people;
• pregnant women;
• people with asthma, COPD and other respiratory diseases;
• people with cardiovascular diseases;
• workers forced to stay outdoors for long periods of time.

If you experience shortness of breath, pain or tightness in the chest, severe dizziness, severe coughing, or worsening of a chronic illness, you should seek medical help.

Editorial comment

The fire in Oreokastro showed an old Greek problem: an industrial site with potentially hazardous materials can catch fire in the midst of heat and strong winds, and the population learns about the composition of the smoke after it has covered the entire city.

In Thessaloniki the situation was obvious: black smoke, the smell of burnt plastic, 112 messages, evacuations, firefighters in protective masks. In Attica, the picture is different: the pollution is weaker and less noticeable, but this is not a reason to treat it as an abstract “cloud somewhere far away.”

The main problem is not to make people live in fear of every smell of smoke. The main problem is for government services to quickly and clearly publish monitoring data: where exactly the particles are recorded, what the PM2.5 indicators are, whether there is a risk for specific areas and what measures are really needed.

Until this happens, citizens are asked to guess for themselves how dangerous the air outside the window is. And this is a very expensive way to organize public health.

Sources: in.gr; News247; WHO: measures to reduce exposure to air pollution.

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