Publishing the alarming fact that Belgrade is the most polluted city in the world has once again reminded us that this long-standing issue will remain relevant this fall, as nothing has been done to permanently resolve it!
It is distressing that information about air pollution in Belgrade, and a number of other cities in Serbia, was not brought to our attention by one of our institutions, but thanks to the world’s most famous air quality measurement website – AirVisual!
Violation of legal obligation
This can only be surprising because, as stated in the analysis by the NGO European Western Balkans: “The governments of Serbia and Vojvodina, as well as local self-governments, are legally obliged to monitor pollution, inform the public about the results of air quality monitoring, and create plans to improve the situation when pollution exceeds permissible limits.”
The analysis emphasizes that some results have been achieved by setting up a network of air quality monitoring stations, but the problem lies in the fact that the quality and quantity of data are not at a satisfactory level. Therefore, it is important for the official measurement results to be more accessible and clearer to the public.
“What would it be without popular websites and mobile applications where we can track real-time data obtained from all global air quality monitoring stations? Residents of Belgrade, Pančevo, and other cities in Serbia would have to rely solely on data from local institutions, which often lag behind and are not presented in a way that is easily understandable,” adds the analysis from European Western Balkans.
The causes of the problem are well known. Paradoxically, nothing has yet been done to solve this problem, even though its causes are well known – heating with poor-quality coal and wood, and a large number of outdated cars emitting polluted air from their exhaust pipes.
The situation is far from trivial because numerous domestic and international doctors have repeatedly warned that particulate matter PM 2.5 and PM 10, which dominate in polluted air, are extremely dangerous to the human body!
Thanks to their very small size, with a diameter of 2.5 and 10 micrometers, they easily penetrate the body and then settle in the heart and lungs. As a result, they cause a range of diseases and deaths, which is particularly dangerous if they penetrate the bodies of small children, as well as older and already ill people!
The battle against air pollution is ongoing, and while recent data on the Air Visual website shows that air pollution is not as severe these days as it was recently, some precautionary measures are still recommended: keeping windows closed to avoid ventilation and avoiding any outdoor physical activities.
It’s worth noting that on days when air pollution is at its maximum, wearing KN-95 surgical masks (first introduced in Serbia with the onset of the coronavirus) is recommended. Although these masks effectively prevent polluted air from entering the body, the effectiveness of this recommendation remains questionable. It’s enough to walk the streets or enter any city traffic vehicle to see that hardly anyone wears even the most basic masks, let alone a slightly higher quality one like KN-95.