Air quality in Czech Republic

What is the air quality forecast for the Czech Republic?

The Czech Republic which is also known by the short name of Czechia is located incentral Europe. It is landlocked sharing land borders with Austria, Germany,Poland and Slovakia. The 2020 estimated population was just over 10.5 millionpeople. The capital city of Prague is also the largest city.

Towards the end of 2020, the air quality index placed the air quality as “Moderate”with a US AQI reading of 56. This classification follows the recommended levelsas suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In the world ranking for2019, the Czech Republic ranked as 68 out of the total of 98 countries whichwere considered.

In 2019 the capital city of Prague recorded a PM2.5 concentration of 11.5 µg/m³,which classified it as having “Good” air quality. For 5 months of the year, itachieved the WHO target level of 10 µg/m³ or less. During March and October,the level was recorded as “Good” with figures of between 10 and 12 µg/m³. Forthe remaining 5 months, the level was classed as “Moderate” with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³.

How bad is the air pollution in the Czech Republic?

National statistics regarding air quality estimated an annual loss of life in 2008 was118,200 which equates to every adult person losing 5.3 days of their life as aresult of breathing poor quality air. The World Health Organisation (WHO)estimated that outdoor air pollution causes 1700 premature deaths annually.

The European Union has taken a number of measures to improve the problem with airpollution in the past. The 2008 Air Quality Directive set targets and goals totry to reduce air pollution. The Czech Republic has often been criticised byThe European Union for exceeding the limits for a long time. The EuropeanCommission went as far as issuing a warning in 2015 stating that it would finethe Czech Republic if the situation did not show significant signs of improvement.

What are the main causes of air pollution in the Czech Republic?

Historically, the Czech Republic suffered from severe air pollution prior to 1993 when thecountry was “born”. It concentrated on building up its industrial network withthe use of cheap, poor quality coal as the source of its power. This cheaplignite coal produces an extremely high level of sulphur dioxide (SO₂)which is very bad for the environment. To such an extent that even the localspruce forests began to deteriorate due to the acid rain produced from thesulphur dioxide. The emissions from the high chimneys of the power stationssent it high into the atmosphere where it is carried on the winds to countries as far away as Sweden.

Since 1989 and the introduction of new legislation, alongside the application ofeffective countermeasures in emission control and modernisation of energy productionand industry, together with widespread gasification of local heating systems, theoverall situation in air quality has improved significantly. An unparalleledreduction in sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions of some 90 per cent hasbeen recorded, along with reductions in total suspended particles (TSP) nitrogen oxides (NOx).

The major source of PM pollutants is from households burning wood, coal or wastefor heating. Followed by emissions from industry and transportation. Otherpollutants which give great cause for concern include ground-level ozone (O₃)and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Air pollution from PM and PAH ischallenging, especially in areas affected by excessive industrial activity andtransportation, or in rural households with low-quality heating who rely onwood and cheap coal as their main source of energy.

Air pollution from industrial installations originates from the following: powergeneration, motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass andarmaments amongst others. These industries have the potential to have a bad impact on air quality.

Private car ownership is relatively high with 485 cars registered for every 1000individuals in 2010. By the end of 2013, 6,319,000 motor vehicles wereregistered in the Czech Republic. There is also a large percentage of diesel-powered cars as well.

Where do the PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants come from?

In comparison to emissions of other pollutants, PM emissions are introduced intothe air from many sources. In addition to sources from which these substancesare discharged in a controlled manner through chimneys or exhausts from industrialsources, local heating and transport, significant amounts of PM emissions comefrom fugitive sources such as quarries, dust dumps and operations with dustymaterials. Emissions from tyre wear, brake linings and road abrasion calculated from traffic performance are also included.

What can be done to improve the air quality in the Czech Republic?

Because the Czech Republic is a member state of the European Union, it is governed bythe rules and regulations regarding environmental issues. All major stationarysources of pollution are required to register all emissions and report anyvariations from the norm. There are monitoring stations in every industrial area.

Czech legislation has established air quality objectives for both limit and targetvalues for different pollutants. Limit values are concentrations that must not be exceeded in a given period of time.

A great deal of money was invested in the control of emissions emitted mainlyfrom large power plants in the Czech Republic during the 1990s. This resultedin a considerable improvement in air quality. Emissions from the main pollutants dropped extensively in the Czech Republic between 1990 and 2013.

In 2007, the Ministry of the Environment developed a National Emission ReductionProgramme which is reviewed every four years. The initiative comprises of severalkey measures in order to contribute to an improvement in the current level of air cleanliness.

Vehicles which meet the EURO 4 standard make up the largest share of the passenger carfleet in current operation. The majority of vehicles which is approximately 2.7million is older than 10 years. All cargo vehicles meet the current EURO legislation.

The levels of pollution emanating from the transportation section has fallensteadily since 2007. Public transport is widely available across the entirecountry. The Czech Republic has one of the densest rail networks in Europe andthere is a very competitive bus and coach system.

Also of note is that households with an electric vehicle receive electricity at a very favourable rate.

The burning of waste in the open is illegal; therefore anyone can call the policeto report any occurrence. However, such open burning is not commonly done inthe Czech Republic. Open burning of biomass (such as garden clippings or leavesfrom trees) is also strictly controlled, some local authorities designatecertain days of the month for the burning of leaves and other garden waste in private gardens.

Which city in the Czech Republic had the highest levels of air pollution?

Contributors to the poor air quality in the Czech Republic include power stations andemissions from vehicles. According to currently available data Dolní Lutyne,Karvina, Cesky Tesín, Hat’ and Havirov have the highest levels of polluted air.The most recent data shows that the annual mean concentration of themicroscopic particulate PM2.5 is 16 µg/m³ which is over 50 per cent higher than the target recommended by the WHO.

What is the level of air pollution in the Czech Republic away from the large cities?

Air pollution by suspended particles of the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions remains one ofthe main problems that need to be solved in improving the air quality of theCzech Republic. Exceeding the PM10 and PM2.5 target goals ​​still contributesignificantly to the classification of municipalities among the areas withexceeded limit values. The highest concentrations are reached in the coldmonths of the year when households need to heat their homes. This is relatedboth to higher values ​​of particulate emissions from seasonal heat sources andto worsened dispersion conditions, which are more frequent in the winter months.

The target goal for the average 24-hour concentration of PM10 which is 55 µg/m³ wasexceeded in 2016 in 1.4 per cent of the Czech Republic with approximately 7.3per cent of the population. As in previous years, the most polluted areas arein the Moravian-Silesian Region (agglomeration of Ostrava-Karviná and Frýdek-Místek).

What does the future hold with regards to air quality in the Czech Republic?

A spokesperson for the Czech Republic’s State Energy Policy stated that coal willprobably remain the country’s primary energy source for the foreseeable future,despite the increased use of natural gas and nuclear energy. However, as amember of the EU Renewables Directive, the Czech Republic’s national renewableenergy action plan declared their aim of 13.5 per cent renewables from gross consumption by 2020.

The larger cities have been slowly expanding cycle lanes alongside car lanes in thecity centres in the last few years. Five years ago the support for the citycycle network was virtually none. In 2015 the city cycle lanes in the fivelargest cities were mostly painted on the side of a road shared with othertraffic. Cycle infrastructure in a sense of dedicated cycle tracks is scarce.Outside the cities, there is an extensive countrywide network of cycle trails but these are primarily for recreational purposes.

Car-free zones are almost non-existent and unbelievably cars are even allowed into theold historic areas of the city of Prague with just a few streets having limited access.

The dominant fuel used in domestic situations is natural gas and electricity withthe possibility of wood being used in rural situations. The World HealthOrganisation (WHO) estimates that indoor air pollution is responsible foraround 400 premature deaths, annually. The most common type of indoor pollutantis PM2.5 and carbon monoxide (CO). These concentrations are considerably higherduring the colder, winter months when more fuel is needed to heat the rooms.

A subsidy is offered to households who change their old equipment for newer oneswhich are powered by natural gas and therefore are much cleaner.

There are other pollutants suspended in the air which currently exceed therecommended target legal. These affect a large part of the population and covermost geographical regions and the concentrations of which seem to be very difficult to reduce.

During the past two decades, a number of procedures have been instigated for bothsignificant sources and for domestic heating and transportation, thanks towhich there has been a noticeable reduction in pollutant emissions in the CzechRepublic. Nevertheless, many economic and social activities still produce somany emissions that, in combination with meteorological and dispersion conditions,cause air pollution target goals to be exceeded.

The good news is that the level of concentrations of most major air pollutants hashad a positive downward trend in recent years, although not as pronounced as inthe 1990s. However, even so, the concentrations of the above-mentionedpollutants with serious impacts on human health continue to exceed the set airpollution limits in a number of localities.

What are the effects on human health from Czechia’s polluted air?

Short-term symptoms resulting from exposure to polluted air may include mildly irritatingitchy eyes, nose and throat, coughing and wheezing and shortness of breath.More serious symptoms may include chest pain, headaches, nausea, and upperrespiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. It also exacerbatesexisting health problems such as asthma and emphysema. Longer-term effects maylead to cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory illness and some types ofcancer. It can also be a major cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Poor air quality causes a number of health problems, such as diseases of the heart,blood vessels and respiratory tract. According to statistics, the long-termeffects of polluted air shorten human life by up to ten months on average. Itis reported that this problem annually contributes to almost four hundredthousand premature deaths in the European Union.

In recent years, lifestyle has changed significantly. People pay more attention tohealthier eating, they exercise regularly and sleep more. They try to avoidstressful situations and stop smoking. All based on recommendations of the experts.However, only recently have people become more aware of the effects that poor quality air can have on the human body.