Air quality in Kłodzko

What is the current level of air pollution in Kłodzko now?

Kłodzko is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It sits on the Eastern Neisse River towards the centre of the Kłodzko Valley. According to a census conducted in 2019, Kłodzko had an estimated population of approximately 27,000 inhabitants.

Towards the end of 2021, Kłodzko was going through a period of air quality that can only be described as “Unhealthy” with a US AQI reading of 163. 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. In Kłodzko there were just two pollutants measured which were PM2.5 - 78 µg/m³ and ozone (O₃) - 2 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is almost eight 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 the air quality is classed as “Unhealthy” the given advice is to remain indoors as much as possible, closing all doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air into the rooms. Operating an air purifier would be very beneficial, if one is available, but ensure it is set to recirculate the air and not keep importing more dirty air from outside. Everyone is advised to wear a good quality mask when venturing outdoors and everyone should avoid outdoor exercise until the air quality improves. 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.

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

Air quality can be very volatile as it can easily be affected by so many variables. Looking back at the figures for 2020, published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that the best quality air was to be had during the months of June, July and August when Kłodzko achieved the World Health Organisation (WHO) target figure of 10 µg/m³ or less. The best month was July with a low reading of just 7.0 µg/m³. The months preceding and following these three produced “Good” air quality with respective figures of 10.9 µg/m³ for May and 11.4 µg/m³ for July. The remaining seven months produced air quality classified as being “Moderate” with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The best month was February with a 12.5 µg/m³ figure and the worst was January with a 25.5 µg/m³ reading.

Historically, records pertaining to air pollution were first held in 2020 when a figure of 14.4 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 it on a temporary basis.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Kłodzko?

The largest source of air pollution with dust and benzo [a] pyrene, substances of which Poland has the greatest problem of extremely high concentrations, is the so-called low emissions. It is an emission from low chimneys (up to 40 metres high), resulting from the combustion of solid fuels (coal, wood), and often also waste. The main reason for low emissions is the heating of households with solid fuels and their use in small production or commercial plants. Very often the coal is of poor quality and the wood is wet.

Combustion processes outside industry, and thus mainly low emissions, are responsible for almost half of the emissions of all PM10 dusts emitted in Poland. Road transport resulted in the emission of 9 per cent of PM10 (fuel combustion, abrasion of tyres, brakes and road surfaces). Energy production and industry contributed to PM10 emissions to a similar extent as road transport (9 per cent and 8 per cent respectively).

What can be done to improve air quality in Kłodzko?

The problem of Lower Silesia is a large number of towns. Especially small towns are characterized by high, multi-family buildings with no space for ventilation and mixing of air masses. Such a state of affairs and a large concentration of the population in a small area create favourable conditions for the deposition of air pollutants. 30 per cent of housing communities in Lower Silesia are tenement houses. These, in turn, are often underinvested, outdated (even from the 19^th century), improperly insulated and heated with very inefficient old tiled stoves.

What are the health impacts of breathing dirty air in Kłodzko?

It has long been said about the impact of smog on the respiratory system. We also talked about the effects on the circulatory system and the endocrine system, but an especially important problem is the effect on the foetuses. We talk a lot in our country about the protection of unborn life, and we do not really protect it, because we expose it to very serious damage to health.

In Poland, 50,000 people die from smog each year. people. There are so many premature deaths caused by smog. Most people die not from asthma, but from a heart attack, stroke or embolism.

It all depends on the aspect of the effect on health. If we are talking about mortality, it is greatest in the circulatory system. If we are talking about exacerbation of chronic diseases, we have a strong influence of smog on asthma and COPD. We are dealing here with chronic diseases, which are exacerbated by smog. The quality of life of these patients deteriorates, and more needs to be spent on drugs.