Wrocław/ Scientists from the University of Life Sciences will conduct large-scale air quality research in the city

Over 200 volunteers equipped with specialized sensors will participate in large-scale air quality research in Wrocław, beginning in September. The analysis will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team of scientists from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.

The project is a continuation of earlier bicycle measurements from 2022; the undertaking is being implemented thanks to a grant from the National Science Centre in the amount of PLN 620,000, Małgorzata Moczulska, spokeswoman for the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, told PAP on Monday.

This time, 200 volunteers will participate in the study, receiving specialized, mobile air quality sensors. These devices, slightly larger than a smartphone, will collect pollution and meteorological data for a week. The values ​​collected by the devices will be correlated with global measurements from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management.

- Researchers want to check whether the air we breathe in our apartment, bus, car or on the street differs and how it affects our daily exposure to harmful substances - explained a spokeswoman for the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.

Researchers participating in this project include Professor Joanna Kamińska from the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. She emphasized that the Wrocław study will allow for the identification of not only pollution levels but also specific exposure scenarios, for example, related to transport choices. Participants will also keep activity diaries, which will help the research team develop an innovative exposure assessment methodology, and its code will be made available to other researchers, Professor Kamińska noted.

The professor also highlighted the phenomenon of summer air pollution in cities. The dominant form is photochemical smog, also known as Los Angeles-type smog. "It is formed as a result of chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of strong solar radiation. These reactions produce, among other things, tropospheric ozone, aldehydes, organic aerosols, and peroxyacyl nitrates. These compounds not only deteriorate air quality but can also negatively impact health, causing headaches, eye and respiratory irritation, and even exacerbating the symptoms of heart and lung disease," the researcher explained.

Photochemical smog is characteristic of large urban areas, but it also occurs, although to a lesser extent, in smaller towns. (PAP)

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