Air quality in Kladno

Does Kladno currently suffer from heavy air pollution?

Kladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located around 25 kilometres north west of the capital of Prague. As such, it is considered to be part of the Prague metropolitan area. A census conducted in 2021 estimated the population to be almost 70,000 people.

At the beginning of 2022, Kladno was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 66. This United States Air Quality Index number is an internationally used set of metrics supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is used to compare the air quality in different cities throughout the world using comparable standards. It is calculated by using the levels of the six most commonly found pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. If all six figures are not always available in which case, a level is calculated by using what data there is. In Kladno, only the two sizes of Particulate Matter were measured which were; PM2.5 - 19.5 µg/m³ and PM10 - 30 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is just under 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 classified as being “Moderate” the advice that is offered 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 the situation improves. If this is unavoidable, then a high-quality face mask should be worn at all times. All types of outdoor exercise should be avoided until the air quality gets better. 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 vary much throughout the year in Kladno?

Air quality can be affected by many things, therefore it can and does change rapidly depending on the local conditions. Looking back at the 2020 figures published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that for the months of February, May, June and July Kladno achieved the target figure of 10 µg/m³ or less as recommended by the WHO. The lowest reading was in February with a figure of 6.8 µg/m³. The months of August, September and October saw “Good” quality air with figures between 10.1 and 12.0 µg/m³. The remaining five months of the year saw air quality from the “Moderate” section with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The worst month of the year was January with a reading of 21.8 µg/m³.

Records were first kept regarding air pollution in 2017 when a figure of 18 µg/m³ was noted. This became slightly worse in 2018 when the figure rose to 19 µg/m³ was registered. A considerable improvement was seen in 2019 with a reading of 12.2 µg/m³, this was almost repeated in 2020 when that figure was 12.3 µg/m³. This figure would have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as many vehicles were no longer in daily use because the offices were closed and the staff encouraged to work from home, 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.

What is the main source of polluted air in Kladno?

The reason is not industry as elsewhere in the Czech Republic, but heavy traffic and especially coal waste, which is utilised by a large number of households. Arsenic is released from coal during combustion. Its highest concentration was regularly determined by experts in the Kladno region. Six places in this region, where there are measuring stations, reached the top twelve in the national ranking. Within the region, Kladno also leads in the amount of fine dust, but nowhere has it exceeded the limit value.

Can anything be done to improve air quality in Kladno?

Due to the high amount of fine dust particles can be long-term poor dispersion conditions, especially in January. It is no longer possible to talk about the impact of power plants on the air in the region, heating plants and boiler rooms also have good filters, but the influence of local heating plants is growing.

Citizens are encouraged to make more use of urban public transport or Kladno integrated transport and do not contribute more than is absolutely necessary to the deteriorating air quality in the city through your car's emissions.

In individual car transport, ensure long-term compliance with the applicable emission limits for road vehicles.

In open fireplaces and local fireplaces, burn only the fuel intended for this purpose without foreign admixtures. PET boilers, other plastic packaging, plastic bags, oils, cables, rubbers, varnished wood, chipboard, etc. definitely do not belong to the boiler or the fireplace. Due to the low combustion temperature in fireplaces and stoves, toxic gases escape into the air.

If possible, switch from black and brown coal combustion to natural gas or biomass combustion (wood, pellets, wood chips) in residential heating) using new special boilers with higher combustion efficiency.

What are some of the detrimental effects of polluted air in Kladno?

The dirty air mainly affects sick people, children and the elderly, who are more sensitive to it.

From acute respiratory problems to myocardial infarctions, but the accumulative effect of the pollutants you inhale is significant. This means that a larger number of short-term exposures accumulate in the body, which can result in, among other things, cancer. I don't think air pollution always leads directly to lung cancer, but it can weaken a person and trigger cancer elsewhere in the body. But this is the worst-case scenario. Air pollution is a common cause of various allergies and asthma.