Ghent residents protest particulates
The facades of Ghent have been festooned in recent days by simple white sheets slowly turning grey, part of a protest organised by the Ghent Environment Front (GMF) against the state of the city’s air quality.
Last week it was revealed that Ghent achieved the worst score in all of Flanders for the levels of fine particulates in the air. Particulates are small particles of solid material emitted by combustion, including vehicle fuel, and remain suspended in the air where they are then breathed in. The particles are implicated in all manner of respiratory disorders, including asthma and bronchitis.
The EU has imposed a limit of 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air – a limit that was exceeded in Ghent 35 times since the beginning of the year. “You don’t feel fine particulates, or smell them or see them,” explained Bregje van Autreve of GMF. “We will be hanging out symbolic white sheets, so that over the course of three or four weeks they become black, just as our lungs do under the influence of fine particulates. Then we will deliver the sheets to the city council so they can take action.”
Those joining in the protest have hung a white sheet from their front window and will leave it until the action ends on 23 September.
