Air quality in Kazincbarcika

Is Kazincbarcika a heavily polluted city right now?

Kazincbarcika is an industrial town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It is situated in the Sajo River valley around 20 kilometres away from Miskoic which is the county capital.

At the beginning of 2022, Kazincbarcika was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 65. This United States Air Quality Index number is an internationally used set of metrics supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is used to compare the air quality in different cities throughout the world using comparable standards. It is calculated by using the levels of the six most commonly found pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. If all six figures are not always available in which case, a level is calculated by using what data there is. In Kazincbarcika city, both sizes of Particulate Matter were measured which were; PM2.5 - 19 µg/m³ and PM10 - 21 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is just under twice the recommended safe level of 10 µg/m³ as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as being an acceptable level. Although no amount of air pollution is considered to be safe.

When air pollution is classified as being “Moderate” the given advice would be to remain indoors as much as possible, closing doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air. Those who are more sensitive to poor quality air should avoid venturing outside until it improves. If this is unavoidable, then a good quality face mask should be worn at all times. All types of outdoor exercise should be avoided until the air quality improves. There is a downloadable app from AirVisual.com which is suitable for all operating systems and gives the latest information regarding air quality in real-time.

Does the level of air pollution vary much throughout the year in Kazincbarcika?

Air quality can be affected by many things, therefore it can and does change rapidly depending on the local conditions. Looking back at the 2020 figures published by IQAir.com, it can be seen the air quality was possibly affected by the seasons. From May until the end of August and again in September, the air quality achieved the target figure as recommended by the WHO of being 10 µg/m³, or less. The month of August offered “Good” quality air with a figure of 11.1 µg/m³. From February until the end of April, the air quality was classified as being “Moderate” with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The same happened for the months from October until the end of December when the air quality was also “Moderate”. The remaining month of January saw the worst quality with readings from the “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” category. Figures are between 35.5 and 55.4 to qualify as such. The actual reading here was 37.6 µg/m³. Overall, there were no figures collected before 2020 when that figure was recorded as being 18.5 µg/m³.

This low figure was almost expected because it would have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as many vehicles were no longer in daily use because the offices were closed and the staff encouraged to work from home, in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. Many factories and non-essential production units were also required to close which removed their emissions from the atmosphere, albeit on a temporary basis. Worldwide, cities reported a much better quality of air due to the general lack of traffic pollution in city centres due to the pandemic.

What is the main source of air pollution in Kazincbarcika?

Due to air pollution, the air in six settlements in northern Hungary is considered dangerous. In addition to particulate matter (PM10) in three major cities, nitrogen dioxide from the combustion products of vehicle fuels is also a problem.

Nitrogen oxides come mainly from the combustion products of vehicle fuels, as well as from energy production and heating. In the outdoor atmosphere, nitric oxide is rapidly converted to nitrogen dioxide, an irritating gas, by oxidizing substances present in the atmosphere.

Can anything be done to improve air quality in Kazincbarcika?

The average age of cars on Hungarian roads is almost 15 years. Hundreds of thousands of Hungarian people drive at least 10-year-old diesel cars.

The Hungarian NGO Clean Air Action Group has proposed that the government should gradually ban polluting cars from 2022. According to their proposal, the ban should be introduced first in the inner districts.

The organisation also argued that from 2024, diesel cars should only be allowed to enter the city if they meet the Euro 4 emission standard. Later, this restriction would be even stricter, excluding diesel cars from the capital that do not meet the Euro 5 emission standard.

What are the detrimental effects of breathing in polluted air?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced during imperfect combustion and because it binds to haemoglobin 300 times more strongly than oxygen, it causes severe oxygen deficiency in the body, damaging the brain, lungs and heart. Prolonged inhalation can be fatal, but often causes permanent damage even with timely treatment. The intoxication is initially characterized by dizziness, headache, tinnitus, nausea, dizziness, confusion, and reddening of the skin.

Nitrogen oxides come mainly from the combustion products of vehicle fuels, as well as from energy production and heating. In the outdoor atmosphere, nitric oxide is rapidly converted to nitrogen dioxide, an irritating gas, by oxidizing substances present in the atmosphere. It has been shown that more people who live along busy roads become asthmatics. High concentrations of nitrogen oxides are likely to contribute to heart and lung disease and reduce the body’s resistance to respiratory infections.

Ground-level ozone is a secondary pollutant formed from primary pollutants by photochemical means. Starting pollutants include nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds from automotive exhaust and solvents. Ozone has an unpleasant odour, irritates the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract, and aggravates chronic diseases, especially bronchitis and asthma. Even in healthy people, prolonged physical activity significantly reduces lung function, which may be accompanied by nausea, nausea, and chest pain. Ozone can also cause inflammation in the respiratory tract. Symptoms in patients with pollen allergies can be significantly exacerbated by high ozone concentrations.