Siberian wildfire smoke degrades air in Upper Lapland

Smoke from a large forest fire in Siberia degraded air quality in Upper Lapland over the weekend, with people reporting headaches, breathing difficulties and irritation in their eyes and throats, Yle reports.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute said the smoke had travelled to Scandinavia with the wind. However, expert Katriina Kyllönen said the situation was not dangerous because the smoke was from a forest fire and had not brought any additional hazardous substances.

Air quality in many parts of Lapland was satisfactory or fair on Monday morning. According to modelling, the air is expected to clear by Tuesday afternoon. The level of fine particles measured in Finland is common in central Europe.

Pirita Näkkäläjärvi, chair of the Sámi Parliament, said she had heard from people in Inari and Utsjoki that the smoke had caused various symptoms among those who spent time outdoors. Some had found breathing difficult or felt the smoke in their eyes or throats, while others reported headaches the following day.

Näkkäläjärvi criticised Finnish authorities for failing to issue warnings about the poor air quality. The county governor’s office in Norway’s Troms and Finnmark had advised people in risk groups not to go outside or stay outdoors for long periods.

She also called for air quality monitoring stations in Sápmi on the Finnish side. The Finnish Meteorological Institute’s northernmost monitoring station is in Kittilä, western Lapland, where air quality was satisfactory on Saturday.

Kyllönen said new information and warning thresholds would be introduced under updated air protection legislation. The threshold is 50 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre over 24 hours, but that level was not exceeded, even temporarily, in Lapland during the weekend. She said municipalities are responsible for issuing information and warnings.