Moderate to major impact on the health of residents after the Dragonul Roșu fire

Following the large-scale fire that broke out Tuesday evening at the Dragonul Roșu commercial complex, the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, through the National Agency for Environment and Protected Areas (ANMAP) and the National Meteorological Administration, mobilized specialists and resources to assess in real time the impact on air quality in Bucharest.

On Wednesday morning, concentrations of fine particles in the air (PM10 and PM2.5) were several times higher than on a normal day, according to the analysis. Exposure to such levels can cause respiratory tract irritation, coughing, breathing discomfort, and can aggravate pre-existing conditions such as asthma or heart disease. Healthy individuals generally do not develop severe effects after a few hours of exposure, but children, the elderly, and those with respiratory or cardiovascular problems may experience these episodes more acutely.

For air monitoring, three mobile laboratories were deployed: the mobile lab of DJM Bucharest, placed in the Vitan-Bârzești area in the morning, and two other mobile labs from DJM Giurgiu, in the CET Progresul area, and DJM Prahova, in the locality of Tunari.

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The data analysis was complemented by results from 30 stations of the National Air Quality Monitoring Network, located in the Bucharest-Ilfov area.

Pollutants monitored included: PM10, PM2.5, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organic compounds.

On the night of the fire, under calm atmospheric conditions, the smoke spread close to the ground, causing high particle concentrations in the Berceni neighborhood, where hourly PM10 values reached 150–200 µg/m³.

The highest values recorded by the mobile lab were: PM10 – 127 µg/m³, PM2.5 – 100 µg/m³, NO2 – 53 µg/m³, CO – 4.68 mg/m³, H2S – 4.4 µg/m³, NH3 – 18.4 µg/m³.

The daily limit value for PM10 was exceeded only at station B17 – Mihai Bravu Technical College (58.7 µg/m³).

After 12:00 p.m., concentrations fell rapidly, returning to levels similar to those of previous days.

“I want to thank the field specialists who reacted promptly and worked for hours to collect essential data for people’s health. We mobilized all available resources to understand and limit the effects of this event. We will continue to publish all information transparently, and the National Environmental Guard will check compliance with the law and take the necessary measures,” said Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu.

The National Environmental Guard has launched a specific inspection action, taking into account the ISU report on the causes of the fire and the monitoring results provided by ANMAP’s mobile laboratories.