In Moscow the air is cleaner on Friday than it was yesterday

During the past 24 hours the content of pollutants in Moscow's air has dropped on the average by 1.2-1.5-fold, reported Yevgenia Simutnikova, deputy director of the State Nature Protection service Mosekomonitoring.

"The matter concerns the products of the burning of peat bogs in the Moscow Region -- carbon dioxide and suspended substances," she explained.

Yesterday, went on Simutnikova, "quite a lengthy period" was registered when the situation improved -- it was between 12 noon and 20.00 Moscow time -- which was conditioned by the change of the direction of the wind. Then the carbon dioxide concentration had dropped to normal. However, at night the acceptable concentrations were again exceeded. The short rains that fell in some places in the morning somewhat improved the situation for a short time. Simutnikova called the time between 5 and 8 a.m. today a "relatively fine" period.

At present, the concentration of pollutants continues to grow, but at a slower rate than yesterday.

As far as clearing of the atmosphere goes, experts are pinning much hope on Saturday when large masses of humid air are expected to reach the Moscow region, and the direction of the wind is expected to change.

During the past 24 hours the content in the air of suspended particles (submicron aerosols) sharply dropped, noted Yevgenia Simutnikova. As a result, if yesterday morning visibility in the region was no more than 1 km, at present it is nearing 7-10 km.