Every time an airplane takes off or lands, millions of tiny particles are released into the air. They are so small that they remain invisible to the naked eye. A human hair is about 70 micrometers thick — ultrafine particles are many times smaller. Experts call them ultrafine particles, or UFPs for short. Their possible health effects have been the subject of intensive research for years. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research have now published new measurement results from around Frankfurt Airport.
On behalf of the Forum Airport and Region (FFR), scientists examined air quality at 14 measuring sites around the airport. The measurements show that concentrations of ultrafine particles on the airport grounds are significantly higher than in the surrounding urban background. For the smallest particles, concentrations were in some cases up to 30 times higher. Particularly affected was the size range between 10 and 20 nanometers. According to the researchers, these especially small particles can largely be linked to airport operations. Their influence decreases with increasing distance from the airport.
Study continues
The researchers did not rely only on stationary measuring instruments. Drones were also used to investigate how particles spread at different altitudes, while mobile measurements around the airport provided additional data on how the particles disperse across the region.
Ultrafine particles differ from conventional particulate matter mainly because of their extremely small size. While air pollution is often measured by mass, the number of ultrafine particles is considered especially important. Experts have therefore debated for years whether standard air-quality measurements adequately capture these particles. Airports are regarded as one of the major potential sources of ultrafine particles. The study will continue until the end of 2026. Researchers then plan to use modeling to calculate how ultrafine particle pollution is distributed across the entire study region..
Publication:
The report on the study is available here.
