Objavljivanje alarmantnog podatka da je Beograd najzagađeniji grad na svetu ponovo nas je podsetilo da će taj dugogodišnji problem biti aktuelan i ove jeseni, jer na njegovom trajnom rešavanju nije učinjeno ništa!

Poražavajuće zvuči da informaciju o zagađenosti vazduha u Beogradu, i nizu drugih gradova u Srbiji, nismo saznali od neke naše institucije, već zahvaljujući najpoznatijem svetskom sajtu za merenje kvaliteta vazduha – Air visual!

Kršenje zakonske obaveze

Ovo može samo da čudi jer, kako se kaže u analizi NVO European Western Balkans: „Vlade Srbije i Vojvodine kao i lokalne samouprave su po zakonu dužne da prate zagađenost, obaveštavaju stanovništvo o rezultatima monitoringa vazduha i prave planove za poboljšavanje situacije kada zagađenost pređe dozvoljene granice”.

U ovoj analizi se naglašava da su postavljanjem mreže mernih stanica za praćenje kvaliteta vazduha postignuti neki rezultati, ali da je problem u tome što kvalitet i količina podataka nisu na zadovoljavajućem nivou. Zbog toga je važno da zvanični rezultati merenja budu dostupniji i jasniji javnosti.

„Šta bi bilo bez popularnih sajtova i mobilnih aplikacija na kojima u realnom vremenu možemo da pratimo podatke dobijene na svim svetskim stanicama za merenje kvaliteta vazduha? Stanovnici Beograda, Pančeva i drugih gradova u Srbiji bi mogli da se oslone samo na podatke lokalnih ustanova, koji često kasne i nisu prikazani tako da se lako razumeju”, dodaje se u analizi European Western Balkan.

Uzroci problema poznati

Paradoksalno je da još uvek nije učinjeno ništa da bi se rešio ovaj problem iako su njegovi uzroci poznati – grejanje nekvalitetnim ugljem i drvima i veliki broj zastarelih automobila koji ispuštaju zagađeni vazduh iz svojih auspuha.

Situacija nije nimalo bezazlena zato što su brojni domaći i svetski lekari do sada bezbroj puta upozoravali da su praškaste materije PM 2,5 i PM 10, koje dominiraju u zagađenom vazduhu, izuzetno opasne po ljudski organizam! 

Zahvaljujuci tome što su jako male, prečnika 2,5 i 10 mikrometara i golim okom lako prodiru kroz organizam i onda se talože u srcu i plućima. Zbog toga izazivaju niz oboljenja i smrtnih slučajeva, a posebno je opasno ako prodru u organizme male dece, kao i starijih i već obolelih osoba!

Kako se boriti?

Iako se na sajtu Air visual ovih dana može videti da zagađenost vazduha ovih dana nije tako drastična kao nedavno, ipak se preporučuju neke mere predostrožnosti: neotvaranje prozora radi provetravanja, i izbegavanje bilo kakve fizičke aktivnosti na otvorenom.

Podsećamo, u danima kada je zagađenost vazduha maksimalna, preporučuje se nošenje hirurških maski KN-95 (prvi put su se pojavile u Srbiji sa pojavom korone) Iako one u potpunosti sprečavaju prodor zagađenog vazduha u organizam, pitanje je koliko će ova preporuka imati efekta. Dovoljno je prošetati ulicama ili ući u neko od vozila gradskog saobraćaja i videti da više niko ne nosi ni one najobičnije maske, a kamoli malo kvalitetnije, poput KN-95.

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.