Do you run or walk in smog? Better put on a mask

Smog Air purity standards in Krosno have been exceeded by several hundred percent recently, and the forecasts for the next few days are equally bad. We checked how to protect ourselves from smog and how the city council fights against it. Editorial Board Due to smog, residents of large cities are increasingly wearing masks. They are also recommended by specialists from KrosnoDamian Krzanowski

Smog is a combination of smoke and moist air, mainly fog. The formation of the phenomenon is favored by high-pressure, windless weather, which is currently prevailing over most of Europe. - It's a transparent umbrella. Let's imagine that we are standing under it with heavy smokers who smoke, poisoning us too, because the smoke has nowhere to escape - in this vivid way, the weather presenter Jarosław Kret explained in the Monday forecast (18.12) for the Nowa TV station the mechanism of formation and danger related to smog.

Pogodynek referred to the legendary London fog, which was nothing but smog. The humid climate of the British Isles and the common practice of heating houses with fireplaces contributed to its creation. When the authorities finally found out how harmful smog is to health and life, they banned the use of wood, coal, and even more garbage as fuel. It worked.

- With us, maybe someone will forbid us something, but who would care? - Mottled ironically.

Effect? The air quality in many parts of the country has been poor in recent evenings. Unfortunately, Krosno was one of the cities with the highest concentration of harmful PM2.5 and PM10 dust. Their norms were exceeded by several hundred percent, which is why there were warnings not to leave the apartments. The worst is in the evening, when most of the residents are at home, and some of them burn materials in the stoves that should never end up in them.

One of such people managed to catch the city guard in the act. This was helped by a phone call from a resident who was concerned about smelly smoke rising from the chimney of a private property near the "zetka".

The owner of the house was surprised, but when the officers showed the documents entitling them to carry out the inspection, he let them into the boiler room. - In the basement there was a large warehouse of old window frames, cut into small pieces on a circular saw. The man has been burning them in the stove for several years, which is absolutely forbidden. He explained in a standard way, i.e. that he did not know that this was not allowed - says Tomasz Wajdowicz, the commander of the Municipal Guard in Krosno.

Cut, ready to burn old window frames, found by the Municipal Police in a private house of the SM

The man was fined several hundred zlotys. He must also take the "fuel" out of the house and dispose of it properly. - We will keep an eye on him and from time to time control what he burns in the furnace - assures Tomasz Wajdowicz.

City services appeal to report similar cases to them: - It's about health and even our lives and our loved ones, smog is really very dangerous.

This is confirmed by the medicine. med. Krystyna Skwirz, a specialist in lung diseases, who warns not to underestimate warnings about poor air quality. -People who suffer from chronic respiratory diseases, incl. asthma, because being outside in smog conditions exacerbates symptoms, as well as the elderly and small children - he says.

It is also inadvisable to practice sports - running or cycling: - The consequences of training in smog conditions may be pharyngitis, laryngitis or sinusitis, and acute.

If someone still wants to train or walk, they should put on a face mask that will cover their mouth and nose. Doctors recommend using even the simplest mask available in pharmacies, but adequate protection against smog is provided only by special, well-adhering face masks with filters, which can be purchased online for a price of several dozen zlotys and above.

Before going outside, it is also worth checking the air condition. Thanks to the Airly sensors installed in Krosno at the beginning of the year, each resident can get acquainted with the situation in their district on an ongoing basis. Readings are available here. Checking the purity of the air takes only a moment and can protect us from serious health problems.

COMMENTS FEATURED COMMENTS zamiet21.12.2017 14:39

Please tell me who to call when my neighbor regularly throws plastic bottles and other stuff into the stove on Saturday evening, the smell spreads to the whole neighborhood and he laughs out loud, that the city guard will not come to the village... because the situation is taking place in one of the villages near Krosno. Is the Police obliged to react, conduct a search and punish the poisoner with a ticket?

zamietna forum from November 2017 odzio4221.12.2017 08:47

Subsidies for new "clean" boilers, it sounds nice, but not everyone will be able to afford fuel for these boilers. Now it is also possible to heat the house with coal cleanly, just a little digging in the net, and I'm not talking about eco-pea coal and boilers with a feeder.

Countries like Germany, Sweden, South Africa and most of Western Europe already know and promote it. And with us only prohibition and prohibition, liquidate coal, put on gas and then pay and cry. That's all on the topic for now.

odzio42on the forum since November 2017 odzio4221.12.2017 08:31

97 percent of people who heat their homes with coal and wood do not burn garbage in boilers, at least not in such quantities that it can be seen or felt. The problem is the incorrect (incomplete) combustion of coal and wood. Apparently, everything can be burned without smoke and stench in the right conditions, and such conditions are usually lacking in home boilers. Coal, contrary to appearances, burns cleaner than wood in so-called boilers. Cinderella, but on the condition of smoking from above and here's the link http://czyogłanie.pl/. And one more thing, the Ministry of the Environment, which recently shouted that coal is a bee. now it recommends burning coal from above and again link

And here's a request to the editors to read the topic and publish an article on this topic. Thank you for your attention

odzio42on the forum since November 2017 I support20.12.2017 12:08

Now I know why it is difficult to cross ul. Kletówki. The stench of burning garbage burns in the nostrils. It was the same last year. I am asking the City Guard to pay attention to one of the companies in the area of ​​Majstra, Biedronka and the Centrum store. Sometimes black smoke comes out of the chimney, and in broad daylight.

I support the forum since November 2017 tuten20.12.2017 06:26

Okay, the city guard will check in cities, but how is it related to villages. When you have a neighbor who, judging by the smell and appearance of his exhaust, recycles everything?

tutenna forum from November 2017 Lukii20.12.2017 00:12

The whole of Poland has a problem with Smog, not only Krosno.

It is very good that in Krosno we have a lot of sensors and we can monitor air quality on an ongoing basis. Not every city in Poland can boast of this.

There are a lot of such situations during the heating season. Jarosław Kret will not always mention SMOG and inform people in the weather forecast.

In Podkarpacie, 11 towns have such sensors, including Krosno with the largest number of sensors.

Lukiina forum since November 2017 Niki_Manifesto19.12.2017 21:02

Unfortunately, the disposable mask from the photo will not be enough for my sense of smell, there is no filter, so it will not stop the pollution. A specialized anti-smog mask with activated carbon and a valve is needed

Niki_Manifestona forum from November 2017 halo119.12.2017 20:57

And what do workplaces say? Are they proud of their care for the environment? How much smoke do they release?

halo1na forum since November 2017 Gitman19.12.2017 20:52

The measurements are absolutely consistent with my at least two organoleptic feelings - sight and smell. This is a really serious problem.

Gitmann forum since November 2017 prawyguy3719.12.2017 20:31

When I was a child, the hotly discussed topic was the problem of the ozone hole. A topic from over 20 years ago, currently not very popular. I am asking what about this hole? Year 2017 - masks, smog, air pollution. This sounds a bit hypocritical to me.

prawyfacet37 on the forum since December 2017ALL COMMENTS (18) Log in to comment: Registration Forgot password