Poland with most polluted air in EU?

According to the daily Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland has the most polluted air in the entire 28-nation bloc.

Recently, the European Commission sent a second opinion on the matter to the government, with the EC’s Environment Press Officer Iris Petsa telling the daily that “there are constant infringements and Poland isn’t doing anything about it”.

Poland will have two months to initiate a legislative process to combat poor air quality in the country, otherwise the European Court of Justice may start to impose fines which could reach up to PLN 4 billion (around EUR 1 billion), according to the Supreme Audit Office in Warsaw.

The human cost is also high, remarks Gazeta Wyborcza, which cites Łukasz Adamkiewicz from the Health and Environment Alliance, who says that “2.5 million Poles suffer from chronic lung disease” due to air pollution.

In southern Poland pollution is rife, with the level of toxic PM10 dust particles in the city of Kraków above the maximum limit for 150 days a year, while in the Silesian cities of Gliwice and Zabrze the limit is exceeded 125 days annually. (jb)