Air quality in Jelenia Gora

What is the current level of air pollution in Jelenia Góra?

Jelenia Góra is a historic city in southwestern Poland, within the historical region of Lower Silesia. It can be found in close proximity to the Karkonosze mountain range near the border with the Czech Republic. According to a census conducted in 2018, the estimated population of Jelenia Góra was approximately 80,000 people.

Towards the end of December 2021, Jelenia Góra was experiencing a period of air quality that can only be classified as being “Unhealthy” with a US AQI reading of 175. 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 Jelenia Góra all six pollutants were measured which were as follows; PM2.5 - 102.1 µg/m³, PM10 - 104.9 µg/m³, ozone (O₃) - 13.4 µg/m³, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 29.1 µg/m³, sulphur dioxide (SO₂) - 13.9 µg/m³ and carbon monoxide (CO) - 1 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is just in excess of being ten times over 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. With a high level such as this it can easily be understood why the air quality is “Unhealthy” at this time.

When air quality is classed as being “Unhealthy” the given advice would be to remain indoors as much as possible, closing doors and windows to prevent more dirty air from entering the rooms. Operating an air purifier would be extremely beneficial if one is available, but ensure it is set to recirculate the existing air and not import more dirty air from outside. 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 which gives the latest information regarding air quality in real-time.

Does the level of air pollution vary throughout the year in Jelenia Góra?

Looking back at the figures for 2020, published by IQAir.com, it can readily be seen that the month of July provided the cleanest air. This month achieved the target figure as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of being 10 µg/m³ or less. The recorded figure was 8.8 µg/m³. The preceding months of May and June saw air quality from the “Good” category with respective readings of 11.1 µg/m³ and 10.7 µg/m³. January was the worst month when the air quality was “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” with a figure of 40.6 µg/m³. The remaining eight months of the year returned figures from the “Moderate” category with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The colder winter months of November and December were the worst.

Records for air pollution were first held in 2017 when a figure of 21.8 µg/m³ was noted. This improved the following year when 21.3 µg/m³ was recorded. Another improvement followed in 2019 with 20.1 µg/m³, before the 2020 figure of 19.6 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 Jelenia Góra?

The types and amount of basic pollutants emitted to the atmosphere in Poland mainly result from the type and amount of fuels burned. In Poland, approx. 75% of energy is produced by burning hard coal and lignite. The rest of the energy is produced using crude oil and natural gas.

In Poland, there has been a dynamic increase in the number of vehicles traveling on the road. Compared to 1980, only the number of passenger cars has tripled. The volume of transit traffic has also increased. Nitrogen dioxide emissions from vehicles account for almost 40 per cent of the total national emissions of this pollutant.

Can anything be done to improve air quality in Jelenia Góra?

Actions aimed at reducing emissions from mobile sources focus on tightening technical requirements for vehicles. As a result, the share of new cars in the total number of registered vehicles is gradually increasing. This causes, among others change of the structure of consumed petrol in favour of unleaded petrol. In 1998 the share of unleaded petrol in the total amount of petrol sold was 72 per cent. A program for the construction of bypasses on transit routes is being implemented, including a program for the construction of motorways and the improvement of the public transport network.

What are the health impacts of breathing dirty air in Jelenia Góra?

Air pollution occurs when gases, dust particles and smoke are released into the atmosphere, causing the atmosphere to harm people, infrastructure and the environment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises air pollution as the greatest environmental risk to health in Europe.

PM2.5 is a dust with particles not larger than 2.5 microns. The World Health Organisation (WHO) described it as the most harmful to human health in the group of atmospheric pollutants. Its harmfulness results, among other things, from the fact that its particles are so small that they can penetrate the alveoli into the bloodstream. Continuous breathing of contaminated PM2.5 dust has been shown to reduce life expectancy. Even short-term exposure can be harmful, increasing the risk of respiratory and circulatory diseases. Additionally, there are bothersome symptoms occurring directly as a result of contact with contaminated air, such as: coughing, worsening of asthma, feeling of shortness of breath. Breathing air contaminated with PM2.5 dust also increases the risk of heart attacks and arrhythmias.