Air quality in Most

What is the current level of air pollution in Most city?

Most is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It can be found on the banks of the Bilina River in the Central Bohemian Uplands about 77 kilometres north west of Prague, the capital. A census conducted in 2021 confirmed it had an estimated population of approximately 65,500 people. It is the capital of the Most District.

At the beginning of 2022, Most was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 93. This United States Air Quality Index number is calculated using the levels of six of the most prolific air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. It can then be used as the metric when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. If data is unavailable for all 6 pollutants, a figure can still be calculated by using what figures there are. There were three pollutants recorded in Most, which were; PM2.5 - 32 µg/m³, PM10 - 38 µg/m³ and ozone (O₃) - 13 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is over three times 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 from this “Moderate” bracket 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 throughout the year in Most?

Air quality can be affected by many things and can, therefore, change quite quickly. Looking back at the 2020 figures published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that for February and May, Most achieved the target figure of less than 10 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO. The cleanest month was February with a figure of just 8.4 µg/m³. The months of June, July and October saw “Good” air quality with readings between 10.1 and 12 µg/m³. The remaining seven months of the year saw air quality from the “Moderate” category with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. Overall, the dirtiest month was January with a figure of 23.8 µg/m³.

Records for air quality were first kept in 2017 when a figure of 18.3 µg/m³ was noted. This deteriorated in 2018 when a figure of 21.7 µg/m³ was seen. An improvement was noticed in 2019 when that figure was 15.1 µg/m³, and it fell again in the following year to 13.8 µg/m³.

This lower figure was to be expected because it may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as many vehicles were no longer in daily use because the offices were closed, 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.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Most?

Air pollution is a long-term problem in the Czech Republic. Polluted air is the cause of many deaths and diseases, such as respiratory tract, cancer and heart disease. The largest sources of impurities include thermal power plants and industry, road transport, local coal heating or waste incineration. The level of air pollution is improving, but only slowly. The biggest problems are caused by airborne dust, benzo (a) pyrene and tropospheric ozone.

In the Most region, the industry is also affected by the deteriorating quality and exceeding the set limits: the presence of chemical plants, surface quarries and power plants. The pollutant that has been one of the most problematic and whose emissions have been reduced is sulphur dioxide. "The reduction of emissions was mainly due to the installation of desulphurisation equipment and the decline in industrial production.

Dust causes more problems and exceeds the air pollution limits. "Virtually the entire territory of the North Bohemian brown coal basin is classified, precisely because of pollution by this basic pollutant, among the areas with deteriorating air quality.

What can be done to improve air quality in Most?

According to the Air Protection Act, one of the obligations of the stationary combustion source operator is to regularly check the technical condition and operation of the stationary combustion source at least once every 3 years through a professionally qualified person. These are mainly boilers, fireplace inserts for solid fuels (coal, wood, pellets, etc.), with a total rated heat input from 10 to 300 kW.

By 1^st September 2022 at the latest, it is necessary to replace old boilers of emission classes 1 and 2 with boilers with higher efficiency and lower emissions, which correspond at least to emission class 3 according to the ČSN EN 303-5 standard.

What are the detrimental effects of breathing in polluted air?

In the category of the finest PM2.5 particles, the particles have a diameter of less than 2.5 microns. Scientists consider PM2.5 to be the cause of the greatest damage to human health. They settle deep in the lungs, block cell reproduction and cause respiratory diseases. The PM2.5 fraction increases the harmful effects of sulphur dioxide and thus increases the susceptibility to chronic diseases of the respiratory tract.

The effect of dust depends on the composition of the particles, the solubility in body fluids and the biological activity. The known effects of suspended particles in polluted air include, in particular, irritation of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, affecting the function of the ciliated epithelium of the upper respiratory tract, inducing hypersecretion of bronchial mucus and thus reducing self-cleansing function and respiratory tract defences.