Krakow 'third most polluted city' in EU

photo - Wikimedia Commons/Zakysant

A report looking at air pollution 383 cities in Europe, by the European Environment Agency, found Bulgaria and Poland have some of the worst black spots for air quality.

Other Polish cities in the top 10 most polluted in the EU were Gliwice, Zabrze, Sosnowiec and Katowice, where the main causes of poor air quality come from emissions from power stations, industry and car exhaust.

The southern Polish cities are, particularly in Silesia, located near collieries and heavy industry, where, the report notes, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a carcinogenic hydrocarbon, is found in the air in higher quantities than the European average.

High levels of BaP is found “especially in areas where domestic coal and wood burning is, or becomes more common,” says the report, the findings of which will come as an embarrassment to Poland, which is hosting the UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw at the end of November. (pg)