Air quality in Szeged

Is Szeged a very polluted city?

Szeged is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain. It stands on the banks of the Tisza River. According to a census conducted in 2019, Szeged had an estimated population of approximately 160,000 residents within the city and almost 240,000 in the entire urban area.

At the start of February 2022, Szeged was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 50. 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. Both sizes of Particulate Matter were recorded here which were PM2.5 - 16 µg/m³ and PM10 - 19 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is just over one and a half times above 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 Szeged?

During the months of May, June and July, Szeged achieved the target figure as recommended by the WHO. In order to make this achievement, the level of air pollution needs to be 10 µg/m³ or less. The respective figures were 8.7, 8.0 and 9.1 µg/m³. August and September saw “Good” air quality with figures of 10.4 and 10.1 µg/m³. From February through until the end of April and from October until the end of December, the recorded level of air quality was “Moderate” with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. This just leaves the month of January which was the worst month for air pollution with a figure classified as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”. The actual reading was 36.1 µg/m³.

Historically, records regarding air quality were first kept in 2018 when a figure of 17.3 µg/m³ was noted. This improved the following year when a figure of 15.7 µg/m³ was recorded. 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.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Szeged?

When traffic starts in the city for the first time in the morning, nitric oxide is released into the atmosphere. It is continuously converted to nitrogen dioxide and then to near-ground-level ozone as solar radiation increases. The ozone concentration reaches its maximum in the afternoon. Late in the afternoon, with the increase in traffic, more nitrogen monoxide and carbon monoxide enter the atmosphere again, but the ozone concentration no longer increases because the solar radiation is no longer sufficient.

Although the main cause of poor air quality is improper residential heating, much of society is unaware of this and makes another sector responsible for air pollution. According to the secretary of state, the population does not feel responsible for the 85 per cent output, citing an 80 per cent nationwide survey of 1,000 people surveyed that blamed other sectors, industry and transport.

Local authorities emphasized that the wood should always be dry and hard when burning wood for domestic use, and that lignite and low-quality brown coal should not be used for burning coal, and that garden waste also should not be burned.

What can be done to improve air quality in Szeged?

LIFE IP HungAiry is a project which will run for 8 years, and aims to solve one of the most significant environmental problems, to improve air quality in 8 Hungarian settlements covering 8 regions. This is achieved, among other things, through the development of emission databases, comprehensive awareness-raising and information activities, and the establishment of a national network of experts and consultants.

To reduce air pollution from improper residential combustion, the project will launch comprehensive awareness-raising and local pilot actions, such as support and promotion of district heating, composting, optimization of solid fuel supply and development of urban green spaces.

What are the detrimental effects of breathing in polluted air?

The air cannot be polluted by artificial means alone. Natural air pollution is not caused by human activity, it is mostly from volcanoes, forest fires and cosmic dust. Man's responsibility, on the other hand, is the smoke emitted by cars, trucks, power plants, waste incinerators, without which we can no longer imagine everyday life, and that is exactly what is causing the problem.

Air pollution can be easily noticed by everyone, they can experience it for themselves. Most of us have certainly noticed physical symptoms, most notably in large, busy cities, such as tearing eyes, coughing, or wheezing when it was most susceptible to air pollution. Polluted air can cause respiratory irritation or difficulty breathing, even in healthy people, during exercise or leisure activities. The real risk depends on the individual's current state of health, the type and concentration of the pollutant and how long he is exposed to the harmful effects of polluted air.