Benzo (a) pyrene is one of the most toxic components of smog - fog containing air pollutants. Benzo (a) pyrene accumulates in the body and can cause cancer, impair fertility and harm the unborn child. Meanwhile, Poland exceeds the emission of benzo (a) pyrene allowed by the WHO as much as 40 times! Check what other harmful effects of benzo (a) pyrene on the human body and how to reduce its presence in the air.
Benzo (a) pyrene(benzoalfapiren, abbreviated as BaP) belongs to the group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - substances emitted by car pipes, cigarettes and, above all, stoves and boilers. Benzo (a) pyrene is released during the combustion of coal (especially of poor quality), wood and garbage (especially PET plastics).Benzo (a) pyreneis one of the most toxic components of smog - fog containing air pollutants, specifically particulate matter, which can penetrate the respiratory system and bloodstream, increasing the occurrence of serious diseases.
Benzo (a) pyrene is found in the air and in food
In Poland, the majority (over 80%) of benzo (a) pyrene in the air comes from households - from stoves, coal boilers, especially those that are outdated, low-standard (commonly known as soot or rubbish). These are primitive boilers that do not meet any, even minimal, emission standards, and which end up with poor quality fuel, and often waste. Less benzo (a) pyrene comes from car exhaust or cigarette smoke. It is worth knowing that benzo (a) pyrene and other air pollutants are the most dangerous when the sun is shining in winter, it is frosty and the wind is not blowing. During the day, the air heats up, in the evening it rises, and its place is taken by cold air - it "holds" pollutants close to the ground.
In winter, during the heating season, the concentration of carcinogenic benzo (a) pyrene in the air increases dramatically. The reason is, among others burning rubbish in furnaces.
PAHs, and thus benzo (a) pyrene, are also present in food, which can be contaminated with both air, water and soil. They are found in vegetables, fruits, vegetable oils, as well as in fish andmussels (from polluted water) and in the body of farm animals. Animals can take up PAHs not only with plant food, but also with soil during grazing. Then they can accumulate in adipose tissue, incl. in milk fat. This is especially true of animals kept near busy roads. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons are also produced by certain food preparation methods such as grilling, baking and smoking. 1
Benzo (a) pyrene - effect on the human body
Benzo (a) pyrene causes cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identified BaP as the main human carcinogen in 1987. The average time between the first exposure to this potent carcinogen and the onset of neoplastic changes is 15 years on average .²
Benzo (a) pyrene accumulates in the body, penetrating mainly through the lungs together with dust.
Benzo (a) pyrene also damages the adrenal glands, liver, immune and blood systems. It also impairs fertility. Research by scientists from the Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum has proven that exposure to high concentrations of benzo (a) pyrene in the prenatal period results in more frequent symptoms of upper and lower tract inflammation in infants, and a lower IQ in older children .²
Poland exceeds the emission of benzo (a) pyrene allowed by the WHO 40 times
For benzo (a) pyrene, as the only one from the PAH group, the permissible concentration has been defined in the national law and the EU directive, which is 1 ng / m3 . In 2012, the European Environment Agency (EEA) prepared a map illustrating the average BaP concentration in Europe. It not only turned out that more than half of the most polluted cities in the EU are in our country, but also that we produce an alarmingly large amount of benzo (a) pyrene. The condition has not improved. In 2015, air quality monitoring stations in Poland reported that our country exceeds the emission of benzo (a) pyrene permitted by the WHO as much as 40 times.
Poland takes the infamous first place on the list of countries where the concentration of benzo (a) pyrene in the air is the highest.
High concentration of benzo (a) pyrene is a nationwide problem, but the worst situation is in the south of our country. According to Andrzej Guła, an expert of the Polish Smog Alert (PAS) civic initiative, it results, inter alia, from with a high population density, which means that the number of low emission sources inevitably is much greater. Low emission is also a problem for central Poland, and it occurs even in northern towns. - Statistical residentKrakow takes as much carcinogenic benzoalfapirene annually, breathing Krakow's air as if it had burned out 2.5 thousand. of cigarettes - emphasizes in an interview with the Newseria Biznes news agency Andrzej Guła - In London, who also had a problem with low emissions in the 1950s, today it would be 25 cigarettes. This shows what the gap separates us from other European countries that have de alt with this problem a long time ago through, inter alia, introducing regulations concerning the emissivity of boilers and allowing a certain quality of fuel to the market.
Due to air pollution in Poland, 45 thousand die prematurely people
Source: biznes.newseria.pl
Benzo (a) pyrene - how to reduce its concentration in the air?
1. Don't burn garbage!
With every kilogram of burnt garbage, toxic substances are emitted that can contribute to causing serious diseases - lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular diseases. It is worth knowing that pollutants from a domestic chimney spread and fall mainly within a radius of 10 times its height, i.e. onto the house and its immediate surroundings. Toxic substances resulting from combustion, incl. foil packaging or plastic bottles and other plastics, apart from specialized incinerators, go to the lungs.
2. Surround yourself with plants
Plants are a natural air filter - they clean it of toxins. Some of them are able to "catch" from 60 to 100 kg of dust from one hectare. Their cleansing power comes from the protective wax they are covered with. Such plants include, among others field maple and sycamore, dogwood, rowan tavlins, basket willows and wrinkled roses that trap debris through leaves and spines.
3. Replace the stove with a more modern
This way you not only reduce the amount of benzo (a) pyrene in the air, but also save up to 30% on fuel. It is best to obtain retort boilers, i.e. boilers with a fuel feeder, which reduce the emission of this carcinogenic substance by 35%.
This will be useful to you
Application pt. "Air quality in Poland"
Application of the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection Fri. "Air quality in Poland" presents current data on air quality from automatic measurement stations operating under the State Environmental Monitoring (SEM). The data concerns the current concentrations of PM10 suspended dust, PM2.5 suspended dust, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), benzene (C6H6) and ozone (O3).
Bibliography:
1. Kubiak M. S., Polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - their occurrence in the environment and in food, Problems of Higieny i Epidemiologii, 2013, No. 94 (1)
2. Press materials of the organizers of the "We create an atmosphere" campaign