Dominik Kobus

This article discusses the importance of air quality for the organization and functioning of health resorts. Ten different types of resorts located in various regions of Poland were compared in terms PM₁₀ concentration. Additionally, comparative analysis of the high-PM₁₀ episodes was performed in three urban agglomerations located near the analyzed health resorts. The article also discusses formal, legal, and economic instruments that are the basis for legislative actions as tools for managing the air quality in the selected resorts. The analysis of the average annual concentrations in 2015–2019 did not show any exceedances of the PM₁₀ limit value for any of the health resorts studied. High PM₁₀ concentration values in 2018 were recorded for the number of days in exceedance of the limit value, especially in the health resorts of Uniejów, Ciechocinek, and Szczawno-Zdrój. Health resorts located in the south of Poland were identified as the most at risk in terms of the occurrence of limit value exceedances, information, and alert thresholds. It was concluded that the implementation of the so called “anti-smog” resolutions, including the development of financial support for changing the heating system to eliminate coal boilers and furnaces, is absolutely necessary for air quality improvement.

The case study selected in order to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented solutions for improving air quality with the WRF-CALMET/CALPUFF modeling system as an element of decision support was the subject of this paper. Its character can be considered unique due to its geographical location, topography and the functioning PGE GiEK S.A. Turów Power Complex (ELT), and, in particular, the PGE GiEK S.A. Turów Coal Mine (KWBT). The conducted analyses have defined three scenarios of emission changes: (1) scenario related to the activities of the energy complex resulting from the minimizing measures indicated in the report on the environmental impact of the mine, (2) scenario resulting from the so-called “anti-smog” regional resolution and (3) scenario compiling the abovementioned scenarios. According to the analyses, the lowest values of the annual mean PM_2.5 concentration were noted in the eastern part of the studied area and did not exceed 14 µg/m³ (56% of the permissible level). The best results in improving air quality were proven for scenario 3, i.e., a 10% reduction in concentration values over the entire analyzed area of the commune. In the case of this scenario, as the most effective and health-promoting solution, only in 25% of the area was the improvement in the residents’ health below 5%, while the reduction in the estimated number of premature deaths by over 15% was observed in nearly one third of the studied area.

The article discusses the tools used for air quality management in the health resorts in Poland including legal instruments, documents and activities at the regional and local level with an example of formal and legal activities. such as the so-called anti-smog resolution to limit the emission of air pollutants from the municipal and housing sectors and thus minimize the risk related to air pollution. The issue of pollution emission resulting from the spatial conditions, including spatial planning, was also indicated. The analysis of the results pertaining to the PM10 measurements from 2017-2018 available for the resorts in Lower Silesia with reference to selected resorts in other regions of Poland and the health risk assessment according to the concentration-response functions for the PM-based on long- and short-term relative risk estimates derived from epidemiological studies were conducted. The exposure assessment was based on the available mathematical modelling results for the PM10 and PM2.5 concentration distributions, which was performed using the CALPUFF model for 2017. In the case of average risk indicators, the obtained values indicated that the values (for all the stays and areas of all zones (total A. B and C) peaked for the Cieplice Shiskie-Zdroj health resort (over 1.1% per annum) and were lowest for Czerniawa and Swieradow-Zdroj (about 0.7%). The highest relative risk indicators in 2017 were observed for cardiovascular diseases for the first two stays in January / February (for the Cieplice Slaskie-Zdroj health resort - over 5%) and for both December stays (over 2.5%). In other health resorts. the risk indicators were significantly lower. The lowest health risk indicators were observed in July, regardless of the location of the health resort and the analysed health effect (rarely exceeding 0.3%). The scale of risk in this case was much higher compared to the short-term risk.

The aim of this research was the analysis of air quality in selected Polish cities in 2008-2018 combined with health assessment based on the methodology and software of World Health Organization (AirQ +) as well as an analysis of main directions of activities aimed at improving air quality in Polish cities. The results of calculations and spatial analysis of exposure indicate the year 2010 as the one with the highest concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5, as well as Małopolskie and Śląskie Voivodships (agglomerations: Upper Silesia, Krakow and Rybnik-Jastrzębska) as the two most threatened by negative impact on human life and health. In a detailed analysis of the Wrocław agglomeration, for 2017, the estimated number of deaths of adults caused by short-term exposure to PM2.5 with a limiting concentration above 10 μg/m3 (in accordance with WHO guidelines on air quality) was over 130 people, and the estimated number of patients hospitalized because of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases due to the above exposure was 160 and 80 cases, respectively. The analysis showed more than 80 cases of asthma attacks in children with asthma caused by short-term exposure and three death cases in infants due to long-term exposure to PM10.

The analysis and comparison of the situations of episodes of high PM10 concentrations in the air in three selected Polish agglomerations: Krakow, Warsaw and Wroclaw in the years 2005-2017 with application of selected elements of information systems (IT) is provided. The role of information systems (technologies) in high pollution episodes in the considered cities is described and the results of measurements performed under the State Environmental Monitoring as well as meteorological data and the dust concentration modelling results were used for the analysis. A set of indicators and methodology was developed to compare the occurrence of episodes in the area of selected cities.

Most of Europeans living in cities are exposed to concentrations of air pollutants in excess of the thresholds given in the WHO guidelines and EU legislation. Due to this fact, for the urban air quality systems, the mechanisms of proper information and warning of the inhabitants as well as legal, economic and spatial planning instruments should be improved. The analysis of Polish air quality management system and its’ selected components (exemplary measures, information-spreading methods, spatial planning instruments) in four selected Polish cities (Wroclaw, Warsaw, Poznan and Cracow) indicated the need to develop effective solutions, among others, in terms of: emission requirements for combustion of fuels of power of up to 1 MW; admission of high emission fuels on the market; legal and coordination issues at the level of implementation of the area development policy and coordination of activities covering issues within the scope of the structure of planning documents including mainly: ambient air protection programs, spatial developments plans in communes and voivodeships, low emission economy plans, plans of sustainable development of public transport, plans of providing heat, electric power and gas fuels to communes, acts of regional parliaments, introducing limitations based on the Environmental Protection Act and strategies of voivodeship.

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