Solving the problem of atmospheric air pollution has been one of the most pressing topics on the modern agenda of sustainable development for more than a decade. Every day mankind emits significant ...amounts of greenhouse gases and toxic substances such as SO
2
, particulate matters, benzene, lead, etc. The low quality of atmospheric air caused by high degree of contamination entails significant negative consequences for the environment and human health in the long term. A steady increase in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere provokes an increase in average temperature and, consequently, serious climate changes. Governments of different countries are developing a wide range of state programs to protect the environment and are implementing various initiatives to eco-modernize industrial enterprises that are the largest emitters of emissions. However, despite the measures taken, the situation with atmospheric air pollution remains acute in most countries of the world. The purpose of this study is to review and analyse the most common economic and administrative-legal instruments used to reduce the negative impact on atmospheric air. Based on the results of the study, the most effective tools were identified and recommendations for their further improvement were proposed.
The article considers the problems of inconsistence in the atmospheric air protection legislation. In particular, the Author indicates the unfounded distinctions in the competence of federal and ...regional environment protection bodies concerning the right to bring a suit against violators of the air protection rules and regulations. On the basis of extensive research of current legislation and case law the Author suggests optimizing the competence of environment protection bodies.
A fundamental problem during the heating season is the above-normal concentrations of pollutants, especially particulate matter, which are often exceeded. Currently, the main source of air pollution ...in Poland is low emissions, which consists of from the inefficient burning of fossil fuels in single-family homes and road transportation. This article discusses the permissible particulate matter standards and identifies the anti-smog resolution as a legal instrument to reduce low emissions. For the purpose of this research, field measurements of particulate matter of various fractions were carried out using the specialist equipment of the University Laboratories for Atmosphere Control of the University of Silesia in Katowice. Field measurements were carried out in early 2023 using the Overhead Mobile Laboratory and the Field Mobile Laboratory in selected districts of Katowice. When conducting the study, attention was paid to the type of development, which determines the specifics of heating and the proximity of roads, which are a source of traffic pollution. Due to the high variability of atmospheric conditions and other components, such as current traffic, the data should be treated as indicative. The results of the study depend primarily on the conditions found and reflect the situation at a particular place and time. The occurrence of low emissions was confirmed by the results of the study, which showed very high concentrations of particulate matter in the southern districts of Katowice, where single-family old buildings predominate and building heating is unsuitable. An impact of automobile traffic on air quality was found.
It is important to estimate effectiveness and results achieved by measures implemented within the ‘Clean Air’ Federal project as regards public health in cities included into it. The aim of this ...study was to analyze changes in levels of ambient air pollution and airborne health risks in cities included into the ‘Clean Air’ Federal project in dynamics over 2020–2022 and to estimate whether the measures aimed at reduction of emissions were adequate to risk rates and factors. The study relied on analyzing the results of field observations over ambient air quality within social and hygienic mon-itoring. Monitoring covered priority chemicals that made 95 % contributions to impermissible health risks according to dis-persion calculations. Risk assessment was performed as per standard algorithms and indicators. Adequacy of air protection and correctness of its orientation were estimated in Norilsk as an example city. The study established that levels of harmful chemicals in ambient were higher than hygienic standards over the analyzed period in all the cities participating in the project. We did not detect any significant reduction in ambient air pollution; there were no positive trends in health risks rates either. In 2022, a risk of respiratory diseases under chronic exposure was ranked as high (hazard index or HI 10.5÷43) in Chelyabinsk, Mednogorsk, Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk, Lipetsk, and Chita; it was ranked as ‘alerting’ in Bratsk, Chita, Novokuznetsk, Magnitogorsk, and Omsk (HI 4.0÷5.8), A permissible risk was identified over the analyzed period only in Cherepovets (HI<3). So far, reductions in emissions of pollutants declared by economic entities have not ensured absence of impermissible health risks in 11 out of 12 cities. Ungrounded orientation to a 20 % reduction in emissions of all the economic entities included in the experiment and failure to consider risk indicators when setting quotas for emissions can lead to absence of any substantial effects for public health in the analyzed cities. In some cases, this may even result in excessive spending on activities that do not have any significant influence on a sanitary-hygienic situation.
Air quality is a very important parameter both for one human and for all living beings on earth. Adequate protection and improvement of the environment and air is the area of a great importance on ...which Republic of Serbia has to work continuously. Tracking (or monitoring) the state and quality of the environment includes a series of actions aimed at obtaining the reliable data on the condition of the environmental pollution. By the Regulation of establishing the List of air quality categories according to zones and agglomerations on the territory of Republic of Serbia for the year 2018, it was determined that air quality in the agglomeration “Novi Sad” is in the first category, which means that the air is clean or slightly polluted (pollutant substances did not cross the limit values). Bearing in mind the importance of the topic, at the very beginning of this article, the problem of air pollution is more closely defined with reference to the legal treatment of protection and the improvement of the environment in general and air as a separate category. This article is primarily focused on the analysis of practical experiences regarding air quality monitoring for the City of Novi Sad.
The interdependence between air quality, human health and the state of the environment has prompted the development of research on causes, control and improvement of existing pollutants in the air. ...This paper addresses the problem of air pollution by PM2.5 and PM10 in particulate matter. There was draws attention to solutions to protect air against existing PM2.5 and PM10. Measurements of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in selected twenty control points on the campus of the Białystok University of Technology were discussed and analysed. On the basis of the obtained results, an assessment of the air quality in the area in question was performed. Slight hourly fluctuations in the concentration of particulate matter in the air were observed, higher in the morning and evening hours. On 15 March and 16 March, daily exceedances of the permissible PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were recorded at both the Białystok University of Technology campus and the air quality monitoring stations in Białystok. Comparing the influence of meteorological conditions on PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, faint correlations were found for temperature and wind speed. As temperature increased, particulate matter concentrations decreased. Low wind velocities corresponded with exceedances of the permissible daily concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in the air.
The study focuses on substantiating the most optimal regulatory actions aimed to minimize health risks caused by airborne exposures within Rospotrebnadzor activities including the Clean Air Federal ...project and the ongoing experiment on setting quotas for emissions. The aim of this study was to comparatively assess effectiveness of regulatory actions as regards specific subjects (exemplified by heat-power engineering objects) with or without use of differentiated approaches to managing ambient air quality and health risks. We analyzed a database on priority sources of ambient air pollution in an analyzed area; performed a hygienic assessment of ambient air quality relying on computed data and also estimated contributions made by specific chemicals and objects to the total pollution; calculated population health risks; implemented an algorithm for substantiating optimal regulatory actions aimed to mitigate health risks under airborne exposures; comparatively analyzed activities stipulated by the Complex plan and suggested optimal regulatory actions identified by solving the optimization task. We conducted a reconnaissance stage-by-stage assessment of effectiveness of air protection activities over 2019–2023 relying on hygienic indicators and risk levels. As a result, we established that implementation of air protection activities and a reduction in total emissions of more than 20 pollutants by heat-power engineering objects would not ensure significant improvement of environmental conditions in the analyzed area considering their share contributions. Safe standards would still be violated in residential areas with levels of chemicals reaching 6.25 single MPL and 7.0 average annual MPL. An optimal sufficient result, considering this share contribution, would be a reduction in emissions from all heat-power engineering objects by 3.47 thousand tons of 10 specific chemicals. This is lower than a reduction planned within the Complex plan on total emission reduction (18.1 thousand tons). To ensure conformity with safe standards that stipulate chemical levels in ambient air and to achieve permissible risk levels, it is necessary to apply a differentiated approach to reductions in emissions (by 1.06 thousand tons overall), which targets specific chemicals, at other sources of ambient air pollution. Use of a differentiated approach to selecting optimal regulatory actions as regards all sources of ambient air pollution considering their share contributions will make it possible to define priority environmental protection activities, adjust the Complex plans and ensure conformity with safe standards and permissible risk levels in all residential areas.
Given its wide involvement in and recognition by international organizations, China has signed many international agreements and negotiations. This study verified how and the extent to which changes ...in exogenous factors (e.g., international agreements and negotiations) affect Chinese governmental air protection policy development. Previous studies on policy network theory have demonstrated that exogenous factors affected the development of domestic policies significantly, while in this study little evidence was found to demonstrate the influence of exogenous factors on changes in Chinese policy. Rather, internal factors have played an important role in both its development and transformation. These findings differ from study results on wealthy countries and other developing districts. This study then explores the causes of substandard policy outcomes. To probe this further, policy network theory is applied to explain the gap between the guiding principle of central government's policies and local implementation in actual practice. By analyzing the strategies of policy actors and specific rules in current Chinese context, the associated limitations and obstacles in the process of policy-making and implementation can be explained from the aspect of bureaucratic system, energy market running mechanism and others. This paper recommends alterations in the current policy and structure based on these findings.
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