Air quality in Frýdek-Místek

What is the current level of air pollution in Frydek-Mistek city?

Frýdek-Místek is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. A census conducted in 2021 estimated the population to be approximately 55,000 people. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Ostravice and Morávka, very close to the international land borders between Poland and Slovakia.

At the beginning of February 2022, Frýdek-Místek 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. There were three of the major pollutants measured in Frýdek-Místek which were; PM2.5 - 19 µg/m³, PM10 - 19 µg/m³ and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 8 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is almost 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 Frýdek-Místek?

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 that for the month of February, Frýdek-Místek attained the target figure as recommended by the WHO. It is recommended to have a measurement of less than 10 µg/m³. The three months of May, June and July returned “Good” air quality with figures between 10.1 and 12.0 µg/m³. The remaining eight months of the year saw air quality from the “Moderate” category with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³.

Records for air quality were first kept in 2017 when a reading of 25.0 µg/m³ was noted. The following year this figure deteriorated to 26.9 µg/m³. However, in 2019 there was a marked improvement when the annual average was recorded as being 17.6 µg/m³. In 2020, the figure was recorded as being 16.2 µg/m³, but this lower 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.

Where does all the air pollution come from in Frýdek-Místek?

The statutory town of Frýdek-Místek lies in an area with heavily polluted air. Sources of pollution are transport, local heating and industry. In winter, the situation is exacerbated by unfavourable climatic conditions - inversion. Smog situations are announced every year.

Czech sources are responsible for approximately half (or more depending on the territory) of pollution in areas with exceeded air pollution limits. Domestic heating and road transport, as well as industrial sources, play an important role here. Regarding the emissions of primary PM particles (particles directly emitted by exhausts or in the form of dust into the air), heating of Czech households contributes 20–70 per cent to the level of air pollution by PM10 and PM2.5 particles, for benzo [a] pyrene it is 40 -80 per cent. Transport with primary particle emissions contributes to the annual averages of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations of about 20 per cent.

Can anything be done to improve air quality in Frýdek-Místek?

Frýdek-Místek takes a number of measures to improve the air in the city, such as more frequent cleaning of roads, planting of insulating greenery, support for a change in the method of heating, free public transport, etc.

The Frýdek-Místek Arboretum is an educational garden with an area of almost 2 hectares consisting of many species of trees, plants, flowers and grasses, complemented by paved and resting areas with benches and pergolas with views dominating the lakes connected by a watercourse, over which the footbridges arch.

What are the detrimental effects of breathing in polluted air?

Excessively polluted air is a sore spot in many cities, even the most advanced. In addition to making it much harder for people to breathe, it also destroys their health. According to experts, one of the manifestations is, for example, faster brain ageing and memory loss.

A recent World Health Organisation (WHO) study suggests that pollution caused by suspended particles (PM2.5, ie particles no larger than 2.5 micrometres) could pose an even greater threat to human health than originally thought. According to the World Health Organisation's "Assessment of Evidence of Health Aspects of Air Pollution", long-term exposure to fine particles can cause arteriosclerosis, adversely affect foetal development and cause respiratory diseases in childhood. The study also suggests a possible link to nervous system development, cognitive function and diabetes, and reaffirms the causal link between fine particles and cardiovascular and respiratory death.

Depending on their chemical composition, suspended particles can also affect the global climate by either warming or cooling the planet. For example, black carbon, a common component of carbon black that is most commonly found in fine particles (less than 2.5 microns in diameter), is the product of imperfect combustion of fuels, both fossil and wood fuels. In urban areas, black carbon emissions are most often released from road transport, especially diesel engines. The black carbon contained in the particles not only affects human health, but also contributes to climate change, as it absorbs heat from the sun's rays and warms the atmosphere.