Air quality in Lukavac

Is Lukavac a city with a poor quality of air?

Lukavac is a city located in Tuzla Canton, one of ten different Cantons, or regions located throughout the country of Bosnia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina in more official terms. It is a relatively small city, being home to some twelve thousand inhabitants as per a census conducted in 2013, and as such this number may have changed since then. Regarding its air quality, Lukavac has consistently come in with some rather poor readings, with readings from years past showing many months of the year with elevated levels of pollution, measured in the form of PM2.5 readings.

PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, roughly 30% the size of a human hair, and capable of going down to sizes many microns smaller, with each diminution in size presenting greater health risks to those that breathe them. Looking at the data gathered over the course of 2020, one can see that Lukavac came in with a PM2.5 yearly average of 37.7 μg/m³, placing it in the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ bracket. In order to achieve such a rating, a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 35.5 to 55.4 μg/m³ is required for classification, and as the name suggests, the air quality throughout the year would present many problems for people who belong to the sensitive group’s demographic.

This means that in lukavac, those who are in poor health may be subject to the adverse effects that pollution exposure brings. As well as this, other portions of the population such as young children and babies would be at greater risk, due to the extremely harmful nature of certain chemical contaminants and the changes they can have on someone who is undergoing their vital formative years. Development of asthma, skin rashes and other related conditions may present themselves, on occasion turning into lifelong conditions if left unchecked.

Others who are at risk are the elderly and infirm, those with pre-existing health conditions or compromised immune systems (with the two often being interchangeable), as well as pregnant women and those with a hypersensitivity towards certain chemical pollutants all falling under this grouping.

Referring back to the PM2.5 reading that Lukavac had over 2020, this reading of 37.7 μg/m³ placed it in 2^nd place out of all cities currently ranked in Bosnia, as well as in 236^th place out of all cities ranked worldwide, putting it amongst the top most polluted cities in the world, and in top five out of the most polluted cities in Europe.

What are some health issues that may present themselves in Lukavac?

With some health issues having already been discussed, further ones that may present themselves to people who are subject to higher levels of exposure (whether they are people who belong to the aforementioned vulnerable demographics, or those who live in areas that have high pollution levels such as near busy roads, highways or certain industrial zones) would be a myriad of conditions usually related to the respiratory system.

Dry coughs, chest pain and infections would be prevalent, with these conditions worsening over time if exposure is not limited or ceased altogether. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would also present itself, being an umbrella term that contains within it several different illnesses, namely asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema.

Excessive breathing of hazardous clouds of particulate matter, both of the ultrafine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) variety can result in inflammation or scarring of the lung tissue, which can reduce the lungs full capacity to function and take in oxygen. As well as this, it also makes affected individuals more likely to contract the above mentioned illnesses, as well as increasing the risk of more serious conditions such as lung cancer.

When are pollution levels highest in Lukavac?

Observing the pollution levels on record over 2020 once again, it can be seen that Lukavac had a distinct period of time in which the PM2.5 count rose considerably higher. The months of January through to March, as well as October to December all had the highest readings of pollution, with three of these months coming in within the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ bracket, and the other three coming in within the ‘unhealthy’ ratings bracket (55.5 to 150.4 μg/m³ required).

These months had respective readings of 103 μg/m³, 62.4 μg/m³, 41.5 μg/m³, 40.2 μg/m³, 51.2 μg/m³ and 59.2 μg/m³. This made January the most polluted month of the year by a significant amount, representing a pattern whereby the pollution levels start to rise at years end, reaching a peak in the early months of the following year, before dropping down significantly.

When are pollution levels at their lowest in Lukavac?

After the pollution levels start to abate in March, the following months of April through to September showed the best levels of air quality on record in 2020. All of them came in within the ‘moderate’ pollution ratings bracket (12.1 to 35.4 μg/m³ required), with June being the cleanest out of the entire year with its reading of 17.1 μg/m³. This indicates a time period in which the air would be at its most free from chemical pollutants, clouds of fine particulate matter, smoke, haze and many other contaminating elements.

What are some different types of pollution found in the air in Lukavac?

The main pollutants found in the air in Lukavac would be the ones that go into calculating the overall level of US AQI, which is a composite reading based off of several main pollutants, namely nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), as well as both forms of particulate matter.

As well as these, there would be others such as the various oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which can be found emanating from car exhaust fumes, industrial emissions as well as the open burning of waste or garbage. NOx itself can undergo a chemical reaction when exposed to solar radiation, creating ozone, or smog as it is better known when it gathers in large accumulations. Whilst it is an integral part of the upper atmosphere (the ozone layer, as many people are already familiar with), when it is found on ground level it is a highly harmful pollutant, causing shortness of breath, headaches, nausea and many of the previously mentioned health conditions.

Other pollutants include black carbon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), both of which are formed from the incomplete combustion of both fossil fuels and organic material or waste matter. Examples of VOCs include chemicals such as benzene, toluene and methylene chloride.