Air quality in Pabianice

Is Pabianice a very polluted city right now?

Pabianice is a town in central Poland and is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the capital of Pabianice County. According to a survey conducted in 2020, the estimated population was approximately 64,000 people. This ranks it as the third largest city in the Łódź Voivodeship.

Towards the end of 2021, Pabianice was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 57. This United States Air Quality Index number is calculated using the levels of six of the most commonly occurring 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 Pabianice, the only pollutant measured was PM2.5 which was 15 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is one and a half times above 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 level of air pollution is classed as “Moderate”, the given advice would be to remain indoors as much as possible, closing all doors and windows to prevent more polluted air from entering the rooms. Those of a sensitive disposition should limit their time spent outside and should always wear a good quality face mask when doing so. For up-to-date information about air quality, there is an app available from AirVisual which is downloadable for all mobile devices. This will give you the air quality in real-time.

Is the level of air pollution in Pabianice consistent throughout the year?

Air quality is very volatile as it is subject to many external influencing factors such as meteorological and atmospheric changes.

Looking back at the figures for 2020, published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that the month with the worst air quality was January when the recorded figure of 38.9 µg/m³ placed it in the “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” category. The remaining eleven months of the year saw the air classed as “Moderate” with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. Out of these, the best month was July with a 15.2 µg/m³ reading, the worst was December with a 34.6 µg/m³ figure.

There were no records kept pertaining to air pollution before 2020 when an annual figure of 21.5 µg/m³ was noted, however, this reading may have been affected by the COVID-19 situation 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.

What is the chief source of polluted air in Pabianice?

The chief source of pollution in Poland is "low emissions", i.e., burning in old and inadequate furnaces, the so-called poor-quality coal, wet wood and garbage together with plastics.

The most problematic are suspended dusts PM10 and PM2.5. Benzo (a) pyrene - B (a) P is also highly dangerous, which is carcinogenic and has the ability to accumulate in the body.

PM10 suspended dust consists of particles with a diameter smaller than 10 µm. It consists of organic and inorganic substances, which very often also include dangerous toxins. These dusts are so small that they enter the lungs and upper respiratory tract.

PM2.5 suspended dust particles are even smaller and therefore even more dangerous as they even reach the bloodstream via the alveoli. The main source of the emission of suspended dusts PM10, PM2.5 and the carcinogenic substance B (a) P are domestic heating installations.

What can be done to improve air quality in Pabianice?

The Clean Air Program offers subsidies and loans to owners of single-family houses for boiler replacement and thermal modernisation.

Cycling is zero carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust emissions, as well as protection of grounds and buildings against the harmful effects of air pollution.

Photovoltaic panels are a great alternative to conventional energy sources, as they do not emit carbon dioxide, so they do not affect the environment in any way. Energy is obtained only from the sun.

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

Annually, as many as 45,000 Poles die due to air pollution. It is not only the cause of many diseases, such as lung cancer and stroke. The biggest culprit in this case is smog, i.e., air pollution caused by human activity with unfavourable weather conditions.

The body's response to polluted air depends on your overall health. The most vulnerable to complications are the elderly and those struggling with respiratory or circulatory system diseases, but in fact smog negatively affects each of us.

Smog is a growing problem that contributes to an increased incidence of respiratory illnesses and infections, including COVID-19, as well as high mortality from other causes. Doctors warn that air pollution is an important factor in the development of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer and miscarriage. The list of problems it fosters keeps getting longer. The most important issue is how to protect your health against smog.

The problems caused by smog include respiratory ailments, including coughs, sore throat or hoarseness, a greater risk of premature death from all causes, and above all as a consequence of the development of heart and circulatory system diseases, including their failure. It can also increase the risk of brain haemorrhage and heart attack.

Symptoms worsen and the development of asthma as well as other lung diseases; long-term exposure, especially to ozone, increases the risk of death caused by them. In the case of pregnant women, low birth weight of the child, greater risk of developing autism and cancer, lower IQ may occur.

Air pollution can also increase the risk of developing cancer of the mouth, larynx or lung, it has also been shown to be associated with the development of other cancers, incl. leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.