Air quality in Vitina

Does Vitina have an air pollution problem?

Vitina has some serious air pollution problems occurring throughout the year, at somewhat sporadic periods. Much like the rest of Kosovo, it is subject to a multitude of various polluting sources, compounded by other factors such as meteorological conditions and the like. These main causes will be discussed in the following questions, and for now, the units of pollution measurements and some present ones taken one will be discussed.

For measuring air pollution in Vitina and throughout Kosovo, the units of PM2.5 and US AQI will be mainly referred to. PM2.5 is one of the most dangerous types of pollution found in the atmosphere, being 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, and able to go down to sizes many microns smaller in diameter. As well as this, it is comprised of a variety of highly hazardous materials, thus adding to its danger level. As such, whilst US AQI is a number calculated from several different main pollutants found in the air (with PM2.5 being one of them), PM2.5 is also used as a prominent measure of air pollution in its own right.

To observe some levels of air pollution present in 2020 in Vitina, it can be seen that a yearly PM2.5 reading of 27.2 μg/m³ was attained, placing Vitina into the ‘moderate’ pollution ratings bracket. This is color coded as yellow (in the same manner as US AQI ratings, and used throughout the various air quality maps and graphs present on the IQAir website, for ease of use and navigation). This reading of 27.2 μg/m³ placed Vitina in 480^th place out of all cities ranked worldwide in 2020, making it one of the top 500 most polluted cities, as well as in 3^rd place out of all cities currently ranked in Kosovo for the same year.

This moderate reading of air pollution, which requires a PM2.5 of anywhere between 12.1 to 35.4 μg/m³ to be classified as such, represents a level of air quality whereby many vulnerable members of the population may be affected, as well as the general public sometimes being subject to some form of respiratory aggravation or irritation. Of note is that a number of months came in with significantly higher PM2.5 readings than the yearly average, with the highest and therefore most damaging or dangerous ones being discussed in the following questions.

On the flip side, whilst it is acknowledged that Vitina and indeed the whole of Kosovo has some fairly serious pollution problems (many of which are rooted in socio-economic factors, as well as poor polluting practices that are remnants from times past and need to rapidly change before the damage they cause becomes irreversible), it can also reach some extremely clean levels of air quality, which as mentioned is sporadic in nature, thus making the need to stay up to date with pollution levels all the more important. These levels can be followed via the air quality map present on this page, as well as via the AirVisual app.

In early June of 2021, a US AQI reading of 8 was taken, representing an extremely clean level of air quality. This would be classified as ‘good’ as per the US AQI ratings bracket (which uses the same names and color coding’s as PM2.5, however with different units of entry, with PM2.5 being measured in micrograms per cubic meter, or μg/m³). This good level of air quality requires a US AQI reading of anywhere between 0 to 50 to be classified as such, and is color coded as green, the best rating in the US AQI bracket that can be achieved.

Other US AQI readings present over May and June of 2021 were ones such as 2, all the way up to highs of 18. This shows that these two months came in with extremely good levels of air quality, free from any significant clouds of smoke, haze and hazardous particulate matter.

What are the main causes of air pollution in Vitina?

Main causes of air pollution present in Vitina are ones such as ambient vehicular emissions, which are largely responsible for causing the yearly average to go up, due to their constant use. As well as this, many of the various cars, motorbikes and even heavier freight vehicles such as lorries and trucks in use would be of the significantly aged variety. The problem with this is that the motors have an extremely inefficient and unclean combustion process, which releases even larger amounts of chemical compounds and particles, along with leaking noxious oil vapors and other pollutants. Furthermore, excessive use of vehicles can cause many tons of microscopic rubber particles to be deposited into both the air and earth, due to the residual wear and tear of tire treads.

Other sources include construction sites and road repairs, both of which can leak large amounts of fine particles such as silica dust and gravel, along with emissions from power plants and factories. Vitina lacks the more stringent rules and regulations surrounding emission standards, and thus has many industrial sites that give out larger amounts of air pollution as a result.

What health issues can occur from pollution exposure in Vitina?

Health issues that may present themselves would be ones such as irritation to the skin and mucous membranes, along with inflammation to the respiratory tract and lung tissue.

This can lead to reduced lung function and scarring, along with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an umbrella term that contains within it conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. Further conditions would be ones such as cancer, heart attacks, strokes and even death.

When does the air quality become poorer in Vitina?

Observing the levels of PM2.5 in the air as collected over 2020, it can be seen that Vitina had its highest air pollution spikes over the months of January, May and November, all very random in nature and lacking a distinct pattern like many other cities do. Their respective readings were 58.2 μg/m³, 43.4 μg/m³ and 46.1 μg/m³, making January the most polluted month of the year by a significant amount, nearly six times that of the world health organization's (WHO's) target goal of 10 μg/m³ or less for the best quality of air.

When does Vitina see improvements in its air quality level?

Whilst much of the year stayed in the higher pollution ratings brackets, being on the higher end of the moderate ranking and beyond, the months of July through to September all had the cleanest readings of air quality, with PM2.5 readings of 12.9 μg/m³, 11.1 μg/m³ and 10.4 μg/m³ respectively, making September the cleanest month of the year and only 0.4 units away from moving into the WHO's target goal of 10 μg/m³ or less.