Heavy, Toxic Freezing Smog Envelops Much Of Europe, Causes Disruption In Transportation, Threatens Health

The officials in many cities of Europe issued pollution alerts because of the toxic smog enveloping the continent. Experts warn that the heavy smog in the continent will continue to spread over the next few days.

This has caused disruptions in transportation as there were delays on the roads and cancelations of flights. School children are advised to stay indoors to guarantee health safety. In London in which the officials issued a "very high" pollution alert, about 100 out of 1,300 flights at Heathrow were canceled.

Meanwhile, in Hungary, the officials issued pollution alerts, too, for about 20 cities including Budapest. The cars without the catalytic converters in Budapest were prohibited from entering the roads from Monday to Wednesday. Likewise, Eastern Europe is also hit by the heavy smog because of the heavy use of wood and coal, according to Yahoo.

Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, which is considered one of the most polluted European capitals, has also been struck with a heavy smog. Meanwhile, in Krakow, Poland, which is an area with the dirtiest air in the country, has approved an anti-smog plan on Monday. It will also ban the use of low-quality coal.

The Met Office in Britain issued severe weather warning for fog in much of the southern and eastern parts of the country. Grahame Madge, the spokesman for Met Office, said that they are expecting these conditions to last for a few days to come. He further said that it will remain cold with the risk of fog as they remain locked into this blocking pattern, which is responsible for the cold, settled weather. He added that there are signs that things may become more flustered and mobile towards the end of the week, and this is something they are keeping out eye on.

Meanwhile, Dr. Penny Woods of the British Lung Foundation said that the combination of toxic air pollution levels with freezing temperatures pose a serious risk to people with lung conditions and can affect the health of people. Dr. Woods further said that the decision from one school in London to curb children's outdoor activity has been made because they have access to pollution monitors -- something all schools need, according to Express.