The approaching winter is a very difficult period for drivers and their cars. Snow, ice or slush on the roads does not make driving easier, just like fast dusk. However, these are not the only threats that we will face in the winter season. In many Polish cities we have to take into account the occurrence of the phenomenon of smog, which is particularly dangerous for the health and life of people. So, moving around the city in traffic, standing in traffic jams, we risk ourselves and our co-passengers? The use of the smog shop should also be there.
The fact that smog phenomena should not be underestimated convinces us both doctors and scientists. If we doubt the warning words of experts, we can rely on the results of air measurements that are carried out in most cities. It is clear from them that here comes the period when the concentration of harmful compounds in the air will be dangerously high. It will be convinced by the recent report of the European Environment Agency, from which it appears in black and white that in terms of emissions of some chemical compounds (e.g. PM10 or PM2.5), especially dangerous for people, Poland is so-called.
What is essentially smog and when is it the most threatening?
It is an atmospheric phenomenon during which high concentration of various types of compounds is present in the air – including nitrogen oxides, sulfur and carbon as well as soot and pollen. Especially the latter have an extremely adverse effect on human health. They can cause problems with breathing, lead to lung cancer, increase the risk of asthma, and in the case of newborns, they hinder the proper development of the body. In here, smog each year contributes to approx. 3.5 thousand. There are premature deaths and several thousand cases.
The intensity of the smog phenomenon occurs especially in autumn and winter. Windless weather, low rainfall and, above all, human activity contribute to it. Dangerous compounds are emitted by the industry, but also as a result of the so-called low emissions resulting mainly from the combustion of cheap coal in furnaces with low heating properties and emission of pollutants by cars.
Cars and the matter of smog
The impact of cars on the formation of smog, or more widely air pollution is just controversial. More precisely, the scale is there of this problem. Cars, especially the latest ones, emit less and less poisonous compounds that are effectively eliminated or stopped by various types of filters. On the other hand, the large number of cars in larger cities means that even if the emission of a single vehicle is insignificant, the total value of these substances emitted by all cars in a given area can be dangerous. Last winter, representatives of the Warsaw Smog Alarm alarmed, for example, that, cars produce up to two-thirds of all pollutants.
No matter how significant the role of motor vehicles in the formation of smog, moving in the centers of large cities, we are exposed to its negative effects. What’s more, when driving a car we are all the time between other vehicles, so in a zone where air pollution can be much higher.
