Air quality in Rzeszów

Is Rzeszów currently a badly polluted city?

Rzeszów is the largest city in south eastern Poland. It straddles the banks of the Rislok River in the Sandomierz Basin. The popularity of Rzeszów is increasing as more people decide to make it their home. In 2005 the estimated population was 159,000, growing to approximately 196,000 residents by 2019. Plans are currently under consideration to incorporate surrounding areas into its metropolis in order to strengthen its function as a metropolitan centre in south east Poland.

At the start of the fourth quarter of 2021, Rzeszów was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 83. This reading is used as a benchmark when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. Data is collected regarding 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. In the case of Rzeszów, three recordings were available. These were for PM2.5 - 27.5 µg/m³, PM10 - 34.5 µg/m³ and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 16 µg/m³. At this level, the PM2.5 figure is two and a half times over the recommended target figure as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 10 µg/m³. However, no amount of air pollution is safe but 10 µg/m³ is thought of as being acceptable.

This level is not extremely high, but the advice would be to stay indoors as much as possible, closing doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air. Those people of a more sensitive disposition should try to avoid venturing outside until the air quality improves. There is an app available from AirVisual which can be found in any app store and is suitable for most mobile devices. This will tell you of the latest levels of pollution which might help decide whether or not it is safe to go outside.

Does the level of air pollution vary throughout the year in Rzeszów?

Air quality is very volatile and can change very quickly depending on many variables. Looking back at the figures released by IQAir.com for 2020, it can be seen that the months of May and July attained the target figure as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 10 µg/m³ or less. The actual figures recorded were 9.4 and 8.2 µg/m³, respectively. The months of June and September provided “Good” quality air with respective figures of 10.1 and 11.1 µg/m³. For the remaining eight months of the year, the air quality was classified as “Moderate” with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³.

Records for air pollution were first kept in 2019 when the figure was noted to be 19.8 µg/m³, followed by an improvement the following year when that figure was 17.0 µg/m³. However, this may not be a true reflection of reality because of the COVID-19 pandemic when many cars were not being driven regularly as their owners were encouraged to work from home and not commute into the city on a daily basis. There were also many small factories and production units that were closed down on a temporary basis so their emissions were halted.

What are the sources of the polluted air in Rzeszów?

It is estimated that 52 per cent of smog in Poland comes from the so-called low emission, i.e., combustion in domestic boilers and furnaces with poor emission parameters and low-quality fuel or wet wood.

As with most large cities throughout the world, the number of vehicles using the city’s roads contributes to the poor air quality. It can be seen in the following paragraph what measures are being taken to address the situation.

What can be done to improve air quality in Rzeszów?

In 2018, 40 buses meeting the Euro 6 emission standards were purchased, in 2019, 10 electric buses were delivered with the implementation of infrastructure (a system of fast and slow charging stations). Another 80 low-emission buses are planned to be purchased in the next few years.

In 2017-2018, 136 modern shelters were installed in the city, on the roofs of which there are photovoltaic panels that cover part of the electricity demand. In the following years, until 2021, it is planned to replace another 80 shelters. Renewable energy sources have also been used in the facilities of the local station, as well as pylons with display cases for timetables.

Other measures to reduce air pollution are as follows;

• launching a bicycle and electric scooter rental
• Rzeszów has also joined EU projects under which it will be possible to obtain co-financing for the replacement of old solid fuel stoves with gas stoves, biomass stoves or connection to the municipal heat network.
• the use of insulating greenery as a wind-absorbent barrier and limiting secondary emission of dust.
• Systematic street cleaning and wetting to reduce dusting.
• The police also stop and test the exhaust emissions of random vehicles as a way of preventing older vehicles from continuing to pollute.

What are the detrimental effects breathing polluted air has on the human body?

The pollutants in the air are really diverse and when you look at the alarms and indicators, you can sometimes catch your head that our vital oxygen contains so many additives. Particulate matter is the most dangerous, which is really microscopic and therefore reaches deep into our lungs and even penetrates into the bloodstream. This dust may also contain harmful heavy metals such as arsenic or mercury.

Unfortunately, nitrogen oxides from which ammonia is formed can also be found in the air. We can also find sulphur dioxide, benzene, benzopyrene, and even ozone in it, which is supposed to be an ordinary component of the atmosphere, but should not be suspended too low in it, because then it is highly toxic.

Breathing polluted air can cause changes in the respiratory system such as trouble breathing, wheezing, bronchitis and pneumonia, attacks of coughing and asthma, etc. It also causes problems with the absorption of oxygen in the blood, causing diseases of the circulatory system and the central nervous system. This leads to the weakening of the immune system and damage to internal organs such as kidneys, liver, adrenal glands and also bones.