Caretaker Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassin, announced that the issue of air quality in Beirut Port campus and the areas adjacent to it was being followed up on a permanent basis.

“The follow-up was conducted by an operations room consisting of concerned agencies, departments, and experts in coordination with the Disaster Risk Management Unit at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers,” Yassin stated.

The caretaker minister published the result of the monitoring operation carried out in several places on the 9th of August 2022 between 17:30 and 20:30 by LAF CBRN Company in cooperation with AUB Laboratories for Environment, Agriculture, and Food (LEAF).

According to the tests’ results at the moment of its conduction, the air was free of toxic substances.

The results are as follows: 

Location 1: 240 m SE at 150o from silos (X: 130612 Y: 218318) 

SO2: Below detectable levels 

NO2: 0.065 mg/m3 

CO: Below detectable levels 

VOC: Below detectable levels 

H2S: Below Detectable levels 

PM2.5: 7 µg/m3 

PM10: 16 µg/m3 

Location 2: 960 m E at 70.5o from silos (X: 131406 Y: 218831) 

SO2: 0.01 mg/m3 

NO2: 0.09 mg/m3 

CO: Below detectable levels 

VOC: Below detectable levels 

H2S: Below Detectable levels 

PM2.5: 11 µg/m3 

PM10: 25 µg/m3 

Location 3: 890 m W at 264.5o from silos (X: 129607 Y: 218458) 

SO2: 0.18 mg/m3 

NO2: 0.115 mg/m3 

CO: Below detectable levels 

VOC: Below detectable levels 

H2S: Below Detectable levels 

PM2.5: 11 µg/m3 

PM10: 26 µg/m3 

Location 4: 960 m S at 178o from silos (X: 130519 Y: 217571) 

SO2: 0.12 mg/m3 

NO2: 0.107 mg/m3 

CO: Below detectable levels 

VOC: Below detectable levels 

H2S: Below Detectable levels 

PM2.5: 10 µg/m3 

PM10: 23 µg/m3 

Air samples for bioanalysis were also taken from all four sites to AUB LEAF, results will follow when available. 

Summary:  

1- No serious chemicals that may harm  

2- Fungi Analysis(bio) or results will be available between 48 and 72 hours