Air quality in Zlin

What is the present level of air pollution in Zlín?

Zlín is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice river. A census was conducted at the start of 2021 which determined the approximate population to be 75,000 residents. It is located 70 kilometres east of Brno which is the second largest city after the capital, Prague.

At the beginning of 2022, Zlín was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 65. 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 Zlín, there were four main pollutants recorded. These were; PM2.5 - 19 µg/m³, PM10 - 8 µg/m³, ozone (O₃) - 55.1 µg/m³ and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) - 1.3 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is almost twice 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 from this “Moderate” bracket 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 change throughout the year in Zlín?

Air quality can be very volatile as it can be affected by many variables. Looking back at the 2020 figures published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that Zlín achieved the WHO target figure of being less than 10 µg/m³ for six months of the year. These were February, May until August then again for September and October. The cleanest months were February and July where the figure was 8.8 µg/m³. The month of August brought “Good” air quality with a recorded average of 10.2 µg/m³. The remaining five months of the year saw air quality from the “Moderate” category with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The dirtiest month was January with an average figure of 25.4 µg/m³.

Historically, records have been kept since 2017 when an annual average figure was recorded as being 21.3 µg/m³. The following year showed a slight decline with a reading of 21.7 µg/m³. However, the following year of 2019 showed a marked improvement with a figure of 16.5 µg/m³. 2020 followed with another improvement with a figure of 13 µg/m³, however, this low 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.

Where does the polluted air come from in Zlín?

The smog situation has been in force recently in the Zlín Region. The poor state of the air, which has spread from the Moravian-Silesian region, is exacerbated by heating or traffic in the cities.

The amount of airborne dust particles in the air causes problems. The smog situation is not announced as soon as it exceeds the limit, but only when the increased twelve-hour average is at least half of the stations in the region.

The announcement also means that there is no prospect of a decline in values in the next 24 hours. Only a minimum of the population responds to the declaration of a smog situation by using public transport instead of driving.

What can be done to improve air quality in Zlín?

The state has already sent more than 300 million crowns to the Zlín Region in so-called pot subsidies. They are intended for households that still heat in the oldest, and therefore the least ecological coal boilers. They cover up to 85 per cent of the cost of purchasing a new boiler.

After two waves in which subsidies were distributed, there were about 2,500 in the region. This autumn, the offer will return for the third time. "Once again, the money is enough for more than a thousand households," said a regional councillor.

The recommendations apply especially to people with chronic respiratory problems, heart disease, the elderly and young children. We recommend limiting the use of vehicles with an internal combustion engine as much as possible and using public transport as a matter of priority, "said CHMI. When regulating, some industrial companies have to comply with regulatory measures, including production restrictions.

What are the detrimental effects of breathing polluted air?

Atmospheric pollution mainly affects the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, but the harmfulness always depends on how long we have been exposed to the pollution and how big the dust particles have been. The size of the particles affects where the dust particle is trapped in the respiratory system and can cause serious health problems.

Suspended particles are the most polluting air pollutant in the health of European citizens. Imagine them as particles that are so light that they float in the air. Some are even so small (one-thirtieth to one-fifth the diameter of a human hair) that, like oxygen, they penetrate not only deep into the lungs but also into the bloodstream.