2. ENVIRONMENTAL ChEMISTRy & TEChNOLOGy 2.1. Lectures
2. ENVIRONMENTAL ChEMISTRy & TEChNOLOGy 2.1. Lectures
2. ENVIRONMENTAL ChEMISTRy & TEChNOLOGy 2.1. Lectures
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Chem. Listy, 102, s265–s1311 (2008) Environmental Chemistry & Technology<br />
L05 INFLuENCE OF CLIMATE CONDITIONS<br />
AND AIR CONTAMINATION ON VILLAGE<br />
INhAbITANTS hEALTh<br />
SLAVOMíRA KAŠIAROVá a and MELánIA<br />
FESZTEROVá b<br />
a Trenčín University of A. Dubček, Department of Public<br />
Management, Študentská 2, 911 50 Trenčín,<br />
b Constantine the Philosopher University, Faculty of Natural<br />
Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 74<br />
Nitra,<br />
kasiarovas@azet.sk<br />
Introduction<br />
The understanding of health as a main component of<br />
environment quality accrues from the Agenda 21 concerning<br />
the right of human beings to healthy and productive life 1 . Air,<br />
one of the components of environment, is polluted primarily<br />
by anthropogenic factors. Generally, the countryside is considered<br />
a healthy environment 2 . However, there are very few<br />
studies to prove this assumption since the air monitoring is<br />
a long-term and expensive method and therefore carried out<br />
only on a few monitoring points 3 .<br />
The aim of the study was to assess the state of climatic<br />
conditions and state of air quality in relation to the rate of<br />
diseases among the inhabitants of Královce-Krnišov village<br />
by a simple method, based on a comparison of potential conditions<br />
of contamination with real state of population health.<br />
The Southern Sitno micro region is important for tourism<br />
development and geographical conditions.<br />
Experiment and Methods<br />
Using the reconnaissance of the place was carried out<br />
terrain research. Information and sources of contaminants<br />
were observed together with the perception of problems<br />
related to air quality and environmental health. The obtained<br />
data were further processed by the statistical method of contingential<br />
tables, on the basis of which the individual mutual<br />
relations were evaluated, at the free scope degree of 1 and the<br />
level of importance 0.01 (χ quadrate). An assessment of the<br />
state and movement of air required the analysis of the relief<br />
as well as sunshine input as well as the regional state and<br />
movement of air for which GIS tools (geomedia) were used.<br />
Contamination was interpreted from the map of the secondary<br />
landscape structure and sources of contaminants. The<br />
relation between movement and quality of air and environmental<br />
health was worked out on the basis of the basic data<br />
parametric analysis with the subsequent table synthesis and<br />
mathematic statistics<br />
Results and Discussion<br />
On the territory of the Kráľovce–Krnišov village (the<br />
Štiavnické Mountains) cold, mild warm and warm mountain<br />
climate prevails. The average yearly temperature spans are<br />
from 5.5 °C to 8 °C. The average cloud amount is around<br />
62 %. The number of sunny days is around 48 a year and<br />
s300<br />
the number of cloudy days is around 125. The territory is<br />
characterized by regional northern, north-west air circulation<br />
with a low year and day amplitudes prevailing all the year<br />
round. There are frequent temperature inversions during the<br />
radiation weather with a depression circulation. There is also<br />
an intensive effect of a “temperature island” with a distinctive<br />
increase of day amplitudes supported by the effect of winds<br />
of low intensity. negative influences on environmental health<br />
are diseases caused by contamination from regional emissions<br />
resulting from the type of climate and skin diseases as a<br />
consequence of contamination of anthropogenic and natural<br />
factors – frequent and concentrated air circulation especially<br />
in winter time. Frequent skin diseases and flu are typical for<br />
inversion type of weather. Respiratory diseases and diseases<br />
related to increased stress conditions due to the amplitudes<br />
changes, such as blood pressure disorders, stress and cardiovascular<br />
diseases, were confirmed. The increase of the all<br />
above diseases was statistically confirmed.<br />
The territory of the Southern Sitno micro region is exposed<br />
to the influence of industry confirmed by the considerable<br />
damage of the environment by pollutants distributed in conditions<br />
of mesoclimate. The contamination of the regional<br />
type concerns mainly average annual nO2 and SO2 concentrations.<br />
The contamination in the settlement is therefore of<br />
integrated character from the following sources:<br />
• transport related emissions – the contamination intensity<br />
is lower in winter and spring season, no statistical<br />
importance with any disease was shown;<br />
• heating related emissions – at inversion type of weather<br />
there is an increased intensity of contamination especially<br />
during the winter season (most inhabitants use<br />
wood for heating, some of them waste and electricity),<br />
an influence on the occurrence of blood pressure disorders<br />
was confirmed;<br />
• radiation (high volume activity of radon from the geological<br />
background, radon is considered the carcinogenic<br />
element causing lung cancer and respiratory diseases);<br />
• emissions from rural zone (agriculture – a smell from<br />
the animal husbandry, excrements of animals, liquid<br />
manure).<br />
A demographic structure of Kráľovce – Krnišov village<br />
population represents a regressive type, lift the biggest age<br />
groups in the village between 20–40 and 40–60. Based on<br />
the analysis of microclimate, mesoclimate and macroclimate,<br />
contamination and illness rate considering the statistic importance,<br />
the population group and factors originating from the<br />
environment. The occurrence of health problems (Statistically<br />
important relations illustrated in Tables I, II, III, IV)<br />
could be specified as follow:<br />
•<br />
an increased occurrence of the blood pressure disorders<br />
in the local population: people using electricity for heating,<br />
people using electric appliances at home, women<br />
and children, age group over 60, inhabitants suffering<br />
from obesity, cardiovascular diseases, occupational<br />
diseases and people living mainly on the slopes exposed