Effect of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on air pollution at a local scale in urban areas affected by high-intensity vehicle traffic in Poland

ABSTRACT: The lockdown in 2020 implemented due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in a significant improvement in air quality at a global scale. Nationwide lockdown also considerably improved air quality at a local scale, especially in cities which were almost completely shut down during the first coronavirus wave, with nearly no activity. We tested the hypothesis that a reduction in the intensity of vehicle traffic causes a drastic decrease in urban air pollution at a local scale. We focused on two urban agglomerations, Warsaw and Cracow, in Poland. Data of the concentrations of traffic-related sources, namely NOx, PM10, and PM2.5, obtained from two air pollution monitoring stations were analyzed for the years 2020 and 2021, during which lockdown and pandemic restrictions were in effect, and f

SUBMITTER: Gorka-Kostrubiec B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9802015 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature