Air quality in Piotrkow Trybunalski

What is the current level of air pollution in Piotrkow Trybunalski?

Piotrków Trybunalski; also known by alternative names, often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland. According to a 2020 census, Piotrków Trybunalski has an estimated population of approximately 72,000 residents.

At the end of 2021, Piotrków Trybunalski was going through a period of “Moderate” quality air with a US AQI reading of 97. 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. For Piotrkow Trybunalski, only two pollutants were measured which were PM2.5 - 34 µg/m³ and PM10 - 34 µg/m³. This level of PM2.5 is just under three and a half 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 quality is “Moderate” the given advice would be to stay indoors as much as possible, closing all doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air. Those of a more sensitive disposition should avoid venturing outside if at all possible until the air quality improves. If this is unavoidable, then a good quality mask should be worn at all times. For up-to-date information about air quality, there is an app available from AirVisual.com which is downloadable for all mobile devices. This shows the air quality in real-time and will assist in decision making.

Does the level of air pollution remain the same throughout the year in Piotrków Trybunalski?

Air quality is very volatile as it can easily be affected by many variables. Looking back at the figures released by IQAir.com for 2020, it can readily be seen that for the entire twelve months, Piotrków Trybunalski recorded air quality from the “Moderate” category with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The best air quality was to be had during July with a figure of 13.2 µg/m³, the worst month was January with a 28.6 µg/m³ reading.

There were no records kept with regards to air pollution before 2020 when a figure of 18.6 µg/m³ was recorded. However, this may not be a true indication of reality because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many vehicles were no longer in daily use because offices were closed and staff were no longer encouraged to commute on a daily basis, 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.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Piotrków Trybunalski?

The sources of PM10 particulate matter emissions are combustion sources of solid fuels (coal, wood), road traffic (abrasion of tyres, street dust), dust generated during construction works or from a bulk material landfill, installations related to agriculture, mainly livestock.

This smog mainly comes from coal combustion in home furnaces and boiler houses (the so-called low emission). The reason for the formation of low emissions is the use of outdated stoves, the use of low-quality fuel and the dangerous phenomenon of waste incineration.

Transport, especially vehicles with diesel engines, contributes significantly to the emission of nitrogen oxides. Internal combustion engines also have a significant (up to several percent) share in the emission of suspended dust, as well as a certain share in the total PAH emission.

In many places in Poland, also industrial plants (in particular coking plants, steel mills, oil refineries, coal-fired power plants, but also, for example, chipboard plants) still remain a very important source of air pollution, e.g. particulate matter, PAHs, nitrogen and sulphur oxides, but also arsenic and heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead.

What can be done to improve air quality in Piotrków Trybunalski?

There is a program which covers the area of the city of Piotrków Trybunalski in order to reduce the concentration levels of suspended dust PM10 and suspended dust PM2.5 to permissible levels and to reduce the concentration levels of benzo (a) pyrene (as an indicator of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) contained in the suspended dust to the target level. The main directions of activities in the field of air protection set out in the Program are the reduction of emissions from the municipal and housing sector.

In January this year alone, the concentration of PM10 in Poland was as high as 1,300 micrograms. And the acceptable daily standard is ... 50 micrograms, the alarm level - 300! It cannot be denied that the problem with air quality in Poland is still very serious. Subsequent local governments, including Piotrków Trybunalski, undertake specific actions aimed at reducing the smog problem.

In DIY stores, the sale of boilers that do not meet the standards should be prohibited. If such regulations enter into force, air quality should definitely improve.

What are the health impacts of breathing dirty air in Piotrków Trybunalski?

The severity of symptoms depends largely on the concentration of dust in the air, exposure time, additional exposure to environmental factors and increased individual susceptibility (children and the elderly, coexistence of chronic heart and lung diseases). As some dust components can enter the bloodstream, prolonged exposure to high concentrations of dust can have a significant impact on the course of heart disease (hypertension, heart attack) or even increase the risk of cancer, especially of the lungs.

Benzo (a) pyrene contained in dust shows low acute toxicity, but high chronic toxicity, which is related to its ability to accumulate in the organism. These compounds have proven carcinogenic and mutagenic (causing genetic mutations, which means that they react with DNA).

The impact of air pollution on human health and life is marked practically from the moment of conception. Prenatal exposure (i.e., exposure to various harmful factors during foetal life) is particularly dangerous because the developing foetus is very sensitive to the influence of toxic substances present in the environment, including particulate matter and its compounds from the PAH group. It is also known that fine particulate matter can penetrate the placenta-vascular barrier.