Air Pollution in Poland – Condition, Causes and Effects. In the recent years the air in Poland seems to be the most polluted in Europe (it is worse only in a few times smaller Bulgaria). The concentration of particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), represented by benzo(a)pyrene are among the highest in European Union countries. They are highly toxic, especially PAHS, which damage the hematopoietic system, accumulate in living organisms leading to a cancerous process, they cause damages to the central nervous system and infertility. It is estimated that high air pollution causes 45-47 thousands premature deaths in Poland every year, as well as growth frequency of allergies and chronic diseases. Polish society loses about 520,000 potential years of life, and the economy of 18.5 million work days. It’s a very high price. The weather determines to a large extent the air pollution. The smog episode is usually accompanied by low wind speed or atmospheric silence, reduction of visibility and thermal inversions. However, the biggest problem is low emission, which is mainly related to individual heating of buildings (78-87% of the total emission of benzo(a)pyrene. The reasons for such poor sanitary condition of the air in Poland are complex and to a large extent they result from spatial chaos and lack of spatial planning, but also from general policy country. The most important reasons are i.a.: the lack of a planning policy and a sustainable transport policy, persistent subsidies for unprofitable coal mines, the lack of a policy promoting renewable energy sources and “clean” technologies, high gas price (the highest in Europe) and no subsidies for the poorest, scattered buildings which hinders access to system heat, inefficient and unsuitable transport based on road transport road and individual cars (often old, Diesel) etc.

Background: Air pollution is a severe problem in Poland, with Kraków area being among the regions with the worse air quality. Viral croup or pseudocroup is a common childhood disease that may manifest with severe upper respiratory tract obstruction. Our aim was to evaluate the associations between incidence and severity of viral croup symptoms among children living in Kraków area, Poland, and air pollution. Methods: Th e retrospective cross-sectional study included Kraków area residents <18 years of age admitted to the Emergency Department of St. Louis Children Hospital in Kraków, Poland over 2-year period. Daily mean concentrations of air pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitric oxides (NOx), carbon oxide (CO), sulfur dioxide, ozone, and benzene were retrieved from public database of measurements performed at three local stations. Numbers of cases of viral croup per week were correlated with weekly mean concentrations of air pollutants. Mean air temperature was treated as a cofactor. Results: During the studied period, mean concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, and NOx exceeded the allowable levels (yearly means) specifi ed by Polish law regulations. Signifi cant positive correlations of moderate strength were observed between weekly mean concentrations of most air pollutants, especially PM10, PM2.5, CO and benzene, and numbers of cases of viral croup recorded per week, confi rmed in the analysis restricted to non-holiday period and to winter months only. Th e correlations between NOx, CO, benzene and croup prevalence were independent of temperature in non-holiday period. Conclusions: Our results support adverse impact of air pollution on children’s respiratory health.

This article presents the topic of atmospheric pollution. The authors have presented the most important national air-quality regulations. They have identified measurement stations in Kraków (Poland), collected data from them and conducted their analysis. The aim of the article is to present the research results on developing a statistical model for estimating air pollution in Kraków depending on the changing weather conditions during the year. The authors used the mathematical modelling method to prepare the air-pollution model. The article presents collected data showing the situation prior to the introduction of a number of environmental regulations in the city of Kraków. The paper is based on meteorological data in the form of daily average values of air temperature, wind speed, air humidity, pressure and precipitation. Emission data included the average daily concentrations of the selected air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), nitrogen oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5. The results of the study indicate that the three most significant factors influencing the level of air pollution (appearing as explanatory changes in the models for each of the pollutants listed) are the value of ambient air temperature (a destimulant, except for ozone), wind speed (a destimulant) and the concentration of each pollutant on the previous day (a stimulant). The article concludes with a summary and conclusions.

The: PM2.5/PM10 ratio expresses the anthropogenic share in atmospheric dusl. Very high values or this ratio, i.e. high contribution or PM2.5 to PM10. have occurred recently in atmospheric air within European indusuializcd areas. The paper compiles results of three year pair wise measuring ofconcentrations or PM2.5 and PM2.5-PM10 and compares shares or PMM2.5 in PM10 al three urban background sites in Upper Silesia Poland I towns or Zabrze. Katowice and Częstochowa). At all the three local ions, the PM2.5/PM10 ratio nr daily conccntrations nr dust only occasionally differed considerably from the PM2.5/PM10 ratios for the seasonal and yearly concentrations that, in turn. did not differ from the PM2.5/PM10 ratios al urban sites in Europe.

Knowledge on the physicochemical properties of PM emitted from industrial installations is necessary for assessing current state of ambient air and selecting proper methods for preventing suspended PM from degrading the air quality. Similar to many other industries, fast developing ceramic tile industry releases some amounts of PM to the atmosphere. Samples of PM were taken from main technological operations of three tile manufacturing installations, located in three various plants. The collected PM was examined for granular composition, morphology, phase composition and heavy metal content by using instrumental methods.

The paper presents results of investigations carried out in 2005 at six crossroads in Zabrze. The investigations comprised determinations of vehicular traffic intensity, observations of meteorological conditions and, as a main subject, determinations of concentrations of PM2.5 and PM 10 at all observed sites. Structure of ambient aerosol in the vicinity of crossroads was compared with the structure of aerosol at a reference measuring point, located beyond effects of vehicular traffic, by determining a share of PM2.5 in PM 10 for cach site. At a selected crossroad the measurements lasted 11 days and the sampled dust was analyzed for chemical composition of surface of its particles with the use of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Both the most abundant and trace elements in the surface layer of dust sampled at the crossroads were identified.