Latest smog data in Poland keeps frightening

Air pollution standards have once again overcome the barrier of up to 2,000 percent. It's no consolation that dirty air is suffocating not only in Poland but also in other EU countries. Because the latest research by Polish scientists shows very clearly how smog threatens children.

In the municipality of Konopiska (Silesian voivodeship) on February 10, exceedances of PM2.5 particulate matter standards of 3,673 percent and 1,271 percent for PM10 were recorded. In Włocławek (Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship) on February 15, PM10 standards were exceeded by as much as 2,998 percent. At the same time, in Zamość (Lubelskie voivodeship), PM2.5 standards were exceeded by 1,454 percent, and in Ostrów Wielkopolski (Wielkopolskie voivodeship) by 1,220 percent. But these are not just numbers, but very dangerous consequences for all of us. 

"In Poland, 50,000 people die every year due to smog. We are erasing a city the size of Skierniewice from the map of the country. That's how many premature deaths are caused by smog. Most people die not from asthma, but from a heart attack, stroke or embolism," pulmonologist Tomasz M. Zielonka, MD, pointed out in an interview with Medonet.

Late last year, the World Economic Forum reported that only 4 percent of the urban population in Europe breathes air that meets standards recognized by the World Health Organization as safe.

(bizblog)