Nowa Ruda ranked first in all three categories used to assess urban air — the number of smog days, benzo(a)pyrene concentration and average annual PM10 — and its air quality deteriorated across the board, Polish Smog Alert (PAS) spokesman Piotr Siergiej said.
Other hotspots include Nowy Targ, Sucha Beskidzka and Myszków, where benzo(a)pyrene reached 500% of the norm, and Rabka-Zdrój, which still recorded a fourfold exceedance, Siergiej added.
Krakow, once viewed as Poland’s smog capital, shows the impact of anti-smog measures, said Natalia Matyasik of the Krakow Smog Alert. Benzo(a)pyrene limits are no longer breached at any monitoring station there, she noted.
Even so, Krakow remains burdened by traffic pollution. Nitrogen dioxide levels are still high, putting the city second nationwide for that pollutant and underscoring the need for a Clean Transport Zone, Matyasik said.
Separately, the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection reported that Poland’s average annual PM10 concentration, calculated from all national stations, rose 7% in 2024 compared with 2023.
(jh)
Source: Polskie Radio 24, IAR