Air quality in Zyrardow

What is the current level of air pollution in Żyrardów?

Żyrardów is a town and former industrial hub in central Poland. It can be found in the Masovian Voivodeship and is classed as the capital of Żyrardów County. It is 45 kilometres west of Warsaw. According to a census conducted in 2006, the estimated population was approximately 41,500 residents.

During the closing months of 2021, Żyrardów was going through a period of air quality that could be classed as being “Moderate” with a US AQI reading of 76. This reading is often used as a reference point when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. Data is collected with regards to the six most prolific air pollutants commonly found and this figure is calculated from there. If information is not available for all six, then a figure can be deduced using the information that is available. For Żyrardów, only the two diameters of the PM pollutant were measured. These were; PM2.5 - 24 µg/m³ and PM10 - 24 µg/m³.

The PM2.5 level can be seen to be almost two and a half times higher than the suggested level of 10 µg/m³. This level has been determined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as being an acceptable level of air pollution, although no level is to be considered as being safe.

When air pollution is in the “Moderate” bracket, the advice that is offered is to remain indoors as much as possible, closing all doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air. Those who are more susceptible to poorer quality air should try to avoid venturing outside unless it is absolutely necessary. A high quality face-mask should be worn at all times to reduce the risk.

A mobile app is available to download from AirVisual which is compatible with most operating systems. It will inform you as to the state of the air in real-time to help you decide what to do and where to go.

Does the level of air pollution vary much throughout the year in Żyrardów?

If the table of figures published by IQAir.com for 2020 is studied, it can easily be seen that the two months of July and August returned the best air quality throughout the year. They managed to achieve the target figure of less than 10 µg/m³ as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The actual readings were 7.8 and 10 µg/m³, respectively. The months of May and June saw “Good” quality air with figures of 11.5 and 10.2 µg/m³. The remaining eight months of the year saw air from the “Moderated” category with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The best of these months being September with 13.8 µg/m³, the worst was December with 26.5 µg/m³.

Records pertaining to air pollution were first kept in 2017 when a figure of 23.8 µg/m³ was noted. The following year of 2018 saw a decline with a reading of 26.6 µg/m³. 2017 saw a marked improvement with a figure of 17.8 µg/m³ and again in 2020 with a reading of 16.7 µg/m³. This figure may not be a true reflection of reality because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many motorists were no longer required to commute to their offices each day in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. There were also some factories and similar production units which were told to close on a temporary basis. Many cities throughout the world noted how much cleaner their city air was because of these measures.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Żyrardów?

The largest source of air pollution is from dust and benzo a pyrene, substances of which Poland has the greatest problem of extremely high concentrations, is the so-called low emissions. It is an emission from low chimneys (up to 40 metres high), resulting from the combustion of solid fuels (coal, wood), and often also waste. The main reason for low emissions is the heating of households with solid fuels and their use in small production or commercial plants.

Combustion processes outside the industry, and thus mainly low emissions, are responsible for almost half of the emissions of all PM10 dust emitted in Poland. Road transport resulted in the emission of 9 per cent of PM10 (fuel combustion, abrasion of brakes, tyres and road surfaces). Energy production and industry contributed to PM10 emissions to a similar extent as road transport.

The dominant share of low emissions in the emission of PM10 dust translates into very high concentrations of this pollutant during the heating season. Exceeding the daily norm for PM10 dust outside the heating season is rarely observed, and high concentrations occur only from autumn to spring, i.e., when a significant part of Poles heat their houses with coal and wood, and often also with garbage.

What can be done to improve air quality in Żyrardów?

The replacement of the old, inefficient stoves is being encouraged through a subsidy system to encourage householders to make the change to cleaner fuels.

Transport, together with the communal and housing sector, is the main source of air pollution responsible, among others, for the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and dust which is PM10 and PM2.5. Pollution from the transport sector is greater than in Western European countries results, among others, from a very large number of passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants, the age and technical condition of vehicles, the procedure of removing diesel particulate filters (DPF, FAP) from new diesel vehicles, as well as urban and infrastructure solutions favouring transport by passenger car.

For the air to be cleaner, it is necessary to implement a transport policy focused on the development of public transport. In addition to the new rolling stock, punctuality and frequency of journeys, the possibility of transfers and a pricing policy that would encourage people to stop travelling by car are also important.

What is the smog that hangs over Żyrardów?

Smog consists mainly of harmful chemical compounds, such as sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides, as well as solid substances, i.e., dust and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The latter compounds are formed mainly from coal, crude oil and its derivatives - asphalt, coke and gasoline. Long-term contact with them may lead, among others, to neoplastic changes, diseases of the respiratory system, weakened immune system and kidney and liver failure.