AIR POLLUTION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC IN 2012
Czech Hydrometeorological Institute - Air Quality Protection Division




II.4.4 Conclusions

The carried out assessment for the year 2012 has taken into account the requirements of the Act No. 201/2012 Coll., on Clean Air Protection with regard to meeting the limit values set by the national legislation on the protection of ambient air:

  • The spatial maps of air pollution characteristics for the year 2012 show the following: the limit value for annual average PM10 concentration was exceeded in 0.9 % of the territory of the Czech Republic in 2012, for 24-hour PM10 concentration in 9.6 % of the territory, for annual average PM2.5 concentration in 2.4 % of the territory, for annual average NO2 concentration in 0.02 % of the territory, for the annual average benzene concentration in 0.005 % of the territory, for the maximum 8-hour running average of O3 in 16.6 % of the territory and for the annual average concentration of benzo(a)pyrene in 26.5 % of the territory.
     

  • The levels of air pollution caused by PM10 particles continue to exceed the set limit values. In 2012 the year-to-year decrease of the 36th highest PM10 concentration as well as the decrease of the average annual concentration was measured at most measuring stations. With regard to the year-to-year comparison it can be stated that the maximum average daily PM10 concentrations decreased and the share of the territory with exceeded daily limit value was reduced. Nevertheless in 2012 the exceedance of the daily limit value for PM10 was recorded in all zones and agglomerations at least in one locality. The limit value for the 24-hour average concentration was exceeded in 2012 in 9.6 % of the territory, (in 2011 in 21.8 % of the territory, in 2010 in 21.21 % of the territory), the limit value for annual average concentration was exceeded in 2012 in 0.9 % of the territory of the Czech Republic (in 2011 in 0.7 % of the territory, in 2010 in 1.85 % of the territory). In the territory where the PM10 daily concentrations exceeded the limit values in 2012, live approximately 30.93 % of the population (in 2011 50.8 % of the population, in 2010 48 % of the population). The most serious air pollution situation caused by suspended particles remains in the agglomeration Ostrava/Karviná/FrĂ˝dek-MĂ­stek. This is caused by the fact that in this area, in addition to transport and local sources (household heating), which are the main emission sources of suspended particles also in other regions, significant contribution is made by further emission sources, and mainly metallurgy and fuel processing. Air pollution loads of this area are influenced also by regional transfer from the sources in Poland (heavily industrialized Katowice area).
     

  • In 2004 the concentrations of the fine PM2.5 fraction started to be measured in the Czech Republic. The prevailing source of PM2.5 fraction emissions are combustion processes, producing secondary particles originating as a result of chemical reactions between the gaseous compounds and condensation of hot gases and vapour. In 2012 the limit value for the annual average concentration of PM2.5 was exceeded in 10 localities of the total number 43. The estimated part of the territory of the Czech Republic with the exceedances of the limit value in 2012 is 2.4 %. In comparison with the year 2011 when the limit value for PM2.5 was exceeded in 2.6 % of the territory, the improvement was not marked. This applies for 7 localities in the agglomeration Ostrava/Karviná/FrĂ˝dek-MĂ­stek, in one locality in the zone Moravia-Silesia, in one locality in the Brno agglomeration and in one locality in the zone Central Moravia. The share of inhabitants exposed to the above-the-limit PM2.5 concentrations is estimated to 10.16 %.
     

  • The concentration of the ground-level ozone – the “summer” pollutant of photochemical origin – is influenced by the character of the weather in the warm half of the year. There was no marked change of the situation as against the previous three-year period 2009–2011. The comparison shows that in 2010–2012, in general, the number of localities with the exceedance of the limit value 120 μg.m-3 slightly increased. The long-term target was exceeded in all localities (except one traffic locality) in 2012. Approximately 2.75 % of population were in average exposed to the concentrations of the ground-level ozone exceeding the limit values for the protection of human health in the assessed period 2010–2012.
     

  • A lot of towns and villages were assessed, similarly as in 2011, as the areas with exceeded limit value for benzo(a)pyrene, and namely 26.5 % of the territory of the Czech Republic with approximately 66.26 % of the population. The comparison with the year 2011 shows that the respective numbers were 16.8 % of the territory and 60.2 % of inhabitants. In 2012 the limit value for the annual average benzo(a)pyrene concentration was exceeded at 20 of the total number of 29 stations
     

  • The current exceedances of the 24-hour limit values for the PM10 suspended particles and limit values for benzo(a)pyrene and PM2.5 particles can be regarded as alarming, especially in connection with their serious impacts on human health. It is supposed that both the increased and exceeding concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene may occur also in the towns and villages where there is no air pollution measurement, mainly due to emissions from local sources (household heating) and traffic.
     

  • The increasing traffic loads result in exceedances of the limit values for NO2 in the localities exposed to traffic, and namely at 5 stations in Prague, Brno and Ostrava. The limit value exceedances can be expected also in other similarly traffic loaded sites, where there are no measurements applied. In 2012, similarly as in 2011, NO2 average annual concentrations decreased in most localities. Approximately 0.4 % of the population were exposed to the above-the-limit concentrations in 2012
     

  • The measurements for the year 2012 indicate that benzene limit value is exceeded in Ostrava repeatedly, mainly due to emissions from coking plants.
     

  • Based on the dispersion model, one of the prerequisites for the creation of spatial maps of air pollution characteristic, the SO2 limit values for ecosystems and vegetation were exceeded in the territory of the zone North-West.
     

  • The limit value for the protection of human health for 24-hour and 1-hour SO2 concentration was not exceeded at any monitoring station in the Czech Republic in 2012. Further, none of the monitoring station recorded the exceedance of the limit values for annual average concentrations of lead, arsenic, nickel, cadmium and the limit values for the maximum 8-hour concentration of CO.
     

  • The limit value for ozone AOT40 for the protection of vegetation was exceeded in the assessed five-year period 2008–2012 in lower number of localities (5 out of 36) as compared with the previous assessed period 2007–2011 (8 out of 37). This decrease was slightly apparent as concerns the area of the territory of the Czech Republic with the exceedances. The long-term target was exceeded in 2012 in all rural localities except one.
     

  • The limit values for the annual average concentration of NOx and SO2 and the limit value for the winter average of SO2 for the protection of vegetation and ecosystems were not exceeded in 2012 at any rural locality where the measurement is carried out.
     

  • In agglomerations, the problem of the increased pollutants’ concentrations is particularly serious and a great number of people are affected due to the high population density. The exceedance of limit values in the Prague agglomeration is connected mainly with the significant traffic load and also with the fact that the communications with heaviest traffic run directly through the city centre. The results of the measured concentrations of PM10, NO2 and benzo(a)pyrene still suggest to find the solution of this absolutely unsatisfactory traffic situation in Prague, where the above-the-limit concentrations impact considerable share of the population. Similar situation can be found in the localities with traffic loads in the Brno agglomeration. In the agglomeration Ostrava/Karviná/FrĂ˝dek-MĂ­stek significant contribution to air pollution, in addition to transport, is made by metallurgy and fuel processing industry. Also local heating, mainly in the built-up areas with family houses, represents the significant source of air pollution.

The exceedance of the limit values for the suspended particles is a major problem in most European cities. The occurrence of suspended particles in ambient air is a rather complicated phenomenon and their actual concentration expressed in mass number is represented only partially by local emission of primary particles, especially by transport emission. Further contribution to the actual concentration is represented by reemission and the remaining part by secondary inorganic and organic particles created by chemical transformation of gaseous components both of anthropogenic origin (SO2, NOx and NH3 and VOC), and by emission from the natural environment. Thus the problem of high concentrations of suspended particles in European cities will have to be solved both within all-European cooperation, and at local or regional levels, mainly through measures aimed at local heating and by the reduction of traffic emission, including better street cleaning.

Relatively high contribution of secondary particles shows that significant decrease of PM10 concentrations will be possible by further decreasing of emission of the components causing the creation of secondary particles (NOx, SO2, NH3 and VOC). Further decrease of emissions, mainly NOx emissions but also VOC emissions on a large scale, is the only possible way how to decrease the loads caused by exceeding ground-level ozone concentrations.

The assessment of the ambient air pollution is based on the measurement which is focused, pursuant to the legislative requirements, mainly in large cities. The expert estimates and the results of the published works show, however, that it is highly probable that both the increased and above-the-limit concentrations of a number of pollutants occur also in a number of small towns and villages where there is no air pollution monitoring carried out and where lives a relatively large share of population of the Czech Republic. The substances concerned are mainly suspended particles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The essential role in air pollution is played by geomorphological conditions, meteorological conditions, traffic loads and the type of heating, especially in the appliances not suitable for the given type of fuel. Due to burning wood and coal there occur increased emissions of particles, PAH and heavy metals. Moreover, by burning refuse in local furnaces dangerous dioxins are emitted in the ambient air.