The impact of smog on the concentration of particulate matter in the antelope house in the Silesian zoological garden

The concentration of particulate matter in the barn air and its influence on the content of heavy metals in milk

Heavy metals are one of the components of smog, which is mainly the product of burning fossil fuels in residential buildings. These elements, introduced into the body of cattle by inhalation, may enter the milk. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of particulate pollution in the atmospheric air on the concentration of particulate matter in the air of a dairy cattle barn and on the content of selected heavy metals in milk from cows present in the building. Measurements were taken between November and April (148 measurement days). The calculations carried out showed a high correlation (RS = + 0.95) between the concentrations of particulates measured outside and inside the barn, which is indicative of a significant impact of the atmospheric air on the particulate pollution level of the livestock building. The number of days in excess of the daily standard for PM10 inside was 51. The conducted analysis of the chemical composition of the milk collected under high particulate pollution (February) showed that the permitted lead level had been exceeded-21.93 µg/kg (norm 20.00 µg/kg).

New Calibration System for Low-Cost Suspended Particulate Matter Sensors with Controlled Air Speed, Temperature and Humidity

This paper presents a calibration system for low-cost suspended particulate matter (PM) sensors, consisting of reference instruments, enclosed space in a metal pipe (volume 0.145 m³), a duct fan, a controller and automated control software. The described system is capable of generating stable and repeatable concentrations of suspended PM in the air duct. In this paper, as the final result, we presented the process and effects of calibration of two low-cost air pollution stations—university measuring stations (UMS)—developed and used in the scientific project known as Storm&DustNet, implemented at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Poland), for the concentration range of PM from a few up to 240 µg·m^–3. Finally, we postulate that a device of this type should be available for every system composed of a large number of low-cost PM sensors.

Low-cost air pollution monitoring system-an opportunity for reducing the health risk associated with physical activity in polluted air

The issue of air pollution by particulate matter (PM) concerns many places in the world. At the same time, many residents undertake physical activity (recreation, rehabilitation, sport) in the open air. Generally, the amount of dust concentration depends on both the place (center or periphery of the city) and the time of day. In the present study we describe the outcome of monitoring of the state of air pollution by particle matter (PM₁₀) in the Kraków agglomeration area in order to show that it can provide information concerning air quality in the area where people practice varied kinds of sports in the open air. The measurements of PM₁₀ have been made by a few stations with identical construction working as one network. The details of the air pollution monitoring system and its data quality verification have been described. The network stations made multipoint observations across the Kraków Metropolitan Area during the year 2017 in eight locations. The locations selected represent a diverse spectrum of terrain conditions in which the Kraków agglomeration community undertakes physical activity. For most months of 2017, the minimum monthly average 4-hour PM₁₀ concentrations were recorded between 10–14 h, regardless of location, whereas the maximum was between 18–22. We also noticed a huge differences in the average monthly value of PM₁₀ in some locations within the Kraków agglomeration—ranging between 4.9–339.0 µg m⁻³. This indicates that some regions of the city are more suitable for performance of physical activity in the open air than others. In conclusion, we postulate that a low-cost air pollution monitoring system is capable of providing valuable information concerning air quality in a given region, which seems to be of importance also to people who practice varied sports activities in the open air.