Contents
We breathe the worst air in the entire European Union. On average, we inhale from 8 to 10 liters of air per minute and constantly take in monstrous doses of something that harms the heart and lungs. The Polish Smog Alert states that our air kills up to 45 people annually.
– Pollution is powerful and has a huge impact on our health – says Dr. Piotr Dąbrowiecki, allergologist from the Military Medical Institute in Warsaw, chairman of the Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients’ Associations.
The air we breathe contains toxic substances. The most common oxides of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon. It is also suspended dust (marked with PM abbreviation), which includes heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, lead, chromium, nickel, arsenic), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g. benzo [a] pyrene) and dioxins, formed during the combustion of bad coal or plastics. The cocktail of all these substances is lethal.
– The World Health Organization and the European Environment Agency say that PM 10 and PM 2,5 particulate matter, which we inhale with polluted air, is a factor harmful to health in any amount, even the smallest. It should be absolutely avoided – says Dr. Dąbrowiecki. – On the other hand, the data of the Voivodship Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, reports by WHO and the European Environmental Protection Agency place Poland in the first place in Europe in terms of benzo [a] pyrene pollution and in second place in terms of airborne dust pollution. We breathe an average of 12 times a minute, inhale 0,5 to 0,7 liters of air, which gives us 8 to 10 liters per minute. And all the time we take monstrous doses of something that is harmful – adds the scientist.
We all smoke cigarettes
– Breathing in smog is like smoking constantly, even if we don’t. In such contaminated air there are, among others carcinogenic benzo [a] pyrene, which is also found in nicotine smoke. So we involuntarily “smoke” – says Dr. Marcin Murmyło, specialist in lung diseases, head of the XNUMXth Department of the Lower Silesian Center for Lung Diseases in Wrocław.
The Polish Smog Alert has calculated how much carcinogenic benzo [a] pyrene, converted into cigarettes, is inhaled by Poles. It publishes a calculator on its website where you can find your city and check how polluted it is [here: http://www.polskialarmsmogowy.com.pl/]. And so the inhabitants of Krakow, staying outside for only 2 hours a day, “smoke” cigarettes during 2021, the inhabitants of Wrocław – 1080, the inhabitants of Katowice – 1659, and the inhabitants of Bydgoszcz – 513, etc. chronic diseases of the respiratory system or the circulatory system. They are the most vulnerable – says Dr. Murmyło.
The list of diseases goes on
When we inhale contaminated air, toxin particles and suspended dust enter our respiratory system. They cause irritation, infections and inflammation that can turn into chronic diseases. The smallest particles, less than 2,5 micrometers in diameter, thirty times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, have the ability to penetrate the bloodstream.
– When the concentration of toxins in the air increases in excess, every organism will react, even a young, strong man. The bronchi contract, they try to keep the pollution away from us. We cough, wheeze, try to come out with discharge. But if contact with such air lasts for a long time, then a disease develops. The body stops coping with pollution – says Dr. Piotr Dąbrowiecki.
– Reflexively contaminated air causes mainly two groups of diseases – says Dr. Marcin Murmyło. – The first are respiratory diseases. Our lungs are the largest area where we come into contact with a polluted environment and we absorb these pollutants. If we lay the alveoli flat, they would occupy the surface of the football field. With such a large surface, our body comes into contact with toxins. At the moment when harmful dust enters the lungs, they weaken our defense mechanism – explains the doctor.
– The second group of diseases caused by contaminated air are cardiovascular diseases. And there are even more of these. Due to air pollution, the functions of the heart muscle weaken, acute anemia occurs, says Dr. Murmyło.
Years of inhaling contaminated air also result in lung cancer, asthma and COPD. Lung cancer is the number one killer in our country. It is caused by aromatic hydrocarbons, including benzo [a] pyrene, whose standards in the air are so significantly exceeded. To make matters worse, particulate matter has been recognized as a substance that is capable of causing lung cancer on its own. But not only. Cancer of the larynx and bladder is also more common in people who breathe polluted air. Particulate matter may induce the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Over 2 million Poles suffer from COPD. It is a disease of the whole organism. Inflammation takes place in the lungs, but the heart and brain are affected, and thromboembolic complications may occur. Every year, several thousand patients die prematurely, says Dr. Piotr Dąbrowiecki.
Smog also has a very strong effect on prenatal babies. Babies born to mothers exposed to air pollution (exceeding the permissible norms up to 50%) have lower birth weight, smaller head circumference, more often suffer from respiratory system infections and develop symptoms of bronchial asthma twice as often in their lives (study by Prof. Wiesław Jędrychowski) .
Read also: You must be able to cough too – COPD treatment
There is more of it
Dr. Marcin Murmyło claims that in the autumn and winter periods, when we smoke in stoves and the air is polluted, his hospital hospitalizes much more people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases than years ago. – We absolutely associate it with smog – says the doctor. Acute diseases, such as bronchitis, are also less well treated. – We have to administer higher doses of the drug, emergency medications or hospitalization are often necessary. A weakened body catches infections more easily and takes longer to heal. Over the years, I can see that we have more such patients – he adds.
Dr. Dąbrowiecki has similar observations. – During the first two weeks of January this year, when the air in Poland was particularly bad, I saw 1,5% more patients at the clinic than at the same time last year. I come to work two hours earlier, leave XNUMX hours later. It is similar in the hospital where I work. We have twice as many people with asthma and COPD as in the last year. It comes from something, it is not a coincidence – he says.
Who does it harm the most?
The elderly and children are particularly exposed to smog. – When smog occurs, we note more strokes and heart attacks. The circulatory system reacts up to 3 days after smog exposure. Then the number of these cases increases – says Dr. Piotr Dąbrowiecki.
– On the other hand, children inhale on average more air per kilogram of body weight than adults, their respiratory and immune systems are just being formed, and a child’s lungs develop until the age of 8. Breathing polluted air can contribute to the formation of fewer air sacs in the lungs, leading to chronic respiratory disease. In contaminated air, they develop bronchial asthma more easily – adds Dr. Marcin Murmyło.
Home, your shelter?
Is there any way to save yourself in the event of smog that is everywhere? Radosław Gawlik, president of the board of the Ecological Association Eko-Unia, advises: – During smog, do not open windows, do not air the apartment. Especially from around 17 p.m. to midnight, when people return from work and start smoking in stoves, the air is the most polluted. If you don’t have to, don’t leave home. Do not run during this time, avoid cycling and other outdoor activities. Always check the air quality before training. I also advise you not to run in the morning or in the evening, because then the air is the worst.
During smog alarms, children and the elderly should not leave their homes, especially with cardiovascular diseases. – Schools and kindergartens should keep an eye on messages about the state of the air and if it is bad, children are not allowed to go for walks or the playground. They usually run and thus inhale more of this bad air – explains the ecologist.
The windows and walls of our houses are a barrier for dust suspended in the air. According to Radosław Gawlik, they protect up to 50 percent. – Once I examined the air outside and in my home. In my apartment I had about 60 micrograms per cubic meter of suspended dust, there were as many as 180 outside – he says.
– With the Warsaw University of Technology, I study the area of Legionowo, the most polluted area in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. The respondents are equipped with two types of monitoring – external and internal. The results are clear – inside the house there are half as many harmful particles as outside. Although it is still twice as much as it should be according to WHO – says Dr. Piotr Dąbrowiecki.
Invest in home purifiers and masks
– In regions that have a constant problem with smog, you can invest in air purifiers. However, they must have a HEPA filter. This is the only one that catches most of the low-emission dust particles – advises Radosław Gawlik.
– It is impossible to feel the contamination of PM 2,5. This is not possible, then the filters are the rescue. They work very efficiently, they are able to quickly clean from 50 to 100 sq m. It is worth investing in them – adds Dr. Piotr Dąbrowiecki.
It is similar with dust masks. In extreme situations, it is good to use them. But these also – according to Radosław Gawlik – must be masks with a HEPA filter. – They cost from 100 to 150 PLN. The decent text of the anti-dust masks was made by the Smog Alert in Krakow, you can find it on their website – says the ecologist.
Be careful what you smoke in the stove
It is assumed that a poisoner burning rubbish or poor quality coal in his furnace pollutes an area the size of a chimney by 10 times. This is about 100 meters in diameter. – If he is our neighbor, let’s react, talk to him, let him realize that he poisons not only our neighbors, but also ourselves. It works, says Dr. Piotr Dąbrowiecki. And he adds: – Let us consciously approach the problem. Apply for co-financing for furnace replacement, use good quality fuel, many municipalities provide such co-financing, also for good coal. Let’s start taking care of the environment with ourselves.