Abstract. Particulate matter is generated in many natural and anthropogenic processes and, therefore, taking part in chemical reactions and physical processes in the atmosphere could affect human health, climate, and natural environment. The dust, after emission to the atmosphere, remains there in a floating state to form an atmospheric aerosol with different properties -depending on the morphology, the fraction, shape, surface, and chemical composition of the particles. The chemical composition of particulate matter is heterogeneous and depends on the type of emission sources and the time of residence in the atmosphere. The contribution of individual types of sources in the total dust emission is different in European countries. The aim of the study was to analyze the concentrations of PM 10 at urban background and traffic stations in the chosen 17 European cities. For this purpose, the data from the database of the European Environment Agency and Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection was used. The annual average concentrations of PM 10 and daily average concentrations of PM 10 in 2014 will be presented to confirm that in the European cities there is a problem about high PM 10 concentrations, especially in Poland and other eastern countries. In the case of daily average PM 10 concentration, the highest concentrations of pollutants in the winter season suggests that for the low air quality in these cities the phenomenon of so-called low-stack-emissions from the municipal sector is responsible.
The article discusses the tools used for air quality management in the health resorts in Poland including legal instruments, documents and activities at the regional and local level with an example of formal and legal activities, such as the so-called anti-smog resolution to limit the emission of air pollutants from the municipal and housing sectors and thus minimize the risk related to air pollution. The issue of pollution emission resulting from the spatial conditions, including spatial planning, was also indicated. The analysis of the results pertaining to the PM 10 measurements from 2017-2018 available for the resorts in Lower Silesia with reference to selected resorts in other regions of Poland and the health risk assessment according to the concentration-response functions for the PM-based on long-and short-term relative risk estimates derived from epidemiological studies were conducted. The exposure assessment was based on the available mathematical modelling results for the PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentration distributions, which was performed using the CALPUFF model for 2017. In the case of average risk indicators, the obtained values indicated that the values (for all the stays and areas of all zones (total A, B and C) peaked for the Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój health resort (over 1.1% per annum) and were lowest for Czerniawa and Świeradów-Zdrój (about 0.7%). The highest relative risk indicators in 2017 were observed for cardiovascular diseases for the first two stays in January / February (for the Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój health resort-over 5%) and for both December stays (over 2.5%). In other health resorts, the risk indicators were significantly lower. The lowest health risk indicators were observed in July, regardless of the location of the health resort and the analysed health effect (rarely exceeding 0.3%). The scale of risk in this case was much higher compared to the short-term risk.
The analysis and comparison of the situations of episodes of high PM10 concentrations in the air in three selected Polish agglomerations: Krakow, Warsaw and Wroclaw in the years 2005-2017 with application of selected elements of information systems (IT) is provided. The role of information systems (technologies) in high pollution episodes in the considered cities is described and the results of measurements performed under the State Environmental Monitoring as well as meteorological data and the dust concentration modelling results were used for the analysis. A set of indicators and methodology was developed to compare the occurrence of episodes in the area of selected cities.
This article discusses the importance of air quality for the organization and functioning of health resorts. Ten different types of resorts located in various regions of Poland were compared in terms PM10 concentration. Additionally, comparative analysis of the high-PM10 episodes was performed in three urban agglomerations located near the analyzed health resorts. The article also discusses formal, legal, and economic instruments that are the basis for legislative actions as tools for managing the air quality in the selected resorts. The analysis of the average annual concentrations in 2015–2019 did not show any exceedances of the PM10 limit value for any of the health resorts studied. High PM10 concentration values in 2018 were recorded for the number of days in exceedance of the limit value, especially in the health resorts of Uniejów, Ciechocinek, and Szczawno-Zdrój. Health resorts located in the south of Poland were identified as the most at risk in terms of the occurrence of limit value exceedances, information, and alert thresholds. It was concluded that the implementation of the so called “anti-smog” resolutions, including the development of financial support for changing the heating system to eliminate coal boilers and furnaces, is absolutely necessary for air quality improvement.
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