The air in Östersund is classified as hazardous to the health of the residents, and measurements carried out show that the air is sometimes the worst in the whole country.
According to experts, one of the reasons is the sand the municipality uses to prevent slipping.
– The young people who live here do not feel very well about being affected by this, says Östersund resident Sten Bredberg.
Sten Bredberg lives in central Östersund and is one of all the residents who reacted to the bad air and the cloud of dust that swirls up in the streets.
– I have noticed on several occasions that a large dust cloud swirls up when vehicles pass on the street where I live, he says.
Measurements carried out in Östersund show that the levels of so-called PM10 particles, which according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency are dangerous to health, have at times been the highest in the country. During the worst days, the particle average is ten times higher than permitted.
May cause damage to the fetus
Edda Malmqvist, docent in environmental medicine at Lund University, says that this can lead to several different consequences.
– On the one hand, children can be affected by it, and have problems with the lungs, impaired lung function and suffer from asthma. As an adult, you can get cardiovascular diseases, and if you are pregnant, these small particles can also pass to the fetus and cause damage, says Edda Malmqvist.
Now it turns out that it is not only exhaust gases, studded tires and traffic volume that contribute to the health-hazardous air in Östersund, but also the type of sand that the municipality bought in to combat slippage in the streets, namely limestone.
– The problem with limestone is that it is very porous and can very easily become small, tiny particles. We breathe them in because they become airborne, and on those particles, other harmful substances can also follow into our body, says Ebba Malmqvist.
The municipality: Must have a quality requirement
The municipality of Östersund admits that it may have been inappropriate to use limestone to prevent slipping on the roads.
How does it feel that you sand with sand that can make people sick?
– We have this sand now, but we are looking at what we should do in the next procurement procedure, whether we should have a quality requirement where we set requirements for what kind of minerals can be included in the whole thing, says Ulf Norlén, head of street and the park department at Östersund municipality.
Östersund resident Sten Bredberg thinks above all about the young people who are affected.
– It feels uncomfortable! We may be affected in the long term, perhaps not me, but the young people who live here do not feel very well about being affected by this, says Sten Bredberg.