Information on the Environment in the Czech Republic

A-1. Air

Table A - 1.1 to A - 1.6 Emissions from air polluters, specific emissions of main pollutants

Emission - a phenomenon that introduces foreign substances (pollutants) of various state into the air. Their amounts are reported in terms of kilograms per hour or tonnes per year and kept in the Register of Emissions and Air Polluters (REZZO).

The register is split into the following types of polluters, depending on their thermal outputs:

REZZO 1: includes stationary fuel-burning systems 5 MW or more in thermal output, plus systems operated in very important technological processes; the systems classified to this group are referred to as ”big polluters” and their data are updated every year;
REZZO 2: includes technological systems incorporating stationary fuel-burning equipment, whose thermal output ranges from 0.2 to 5 MW, equipment of important technological processes, and open- cast mines and similar areas, where pollutants can burn, evaporate and escape; this group is referred to as ”medium size polluters”;
REZZO 3: includes local technological systems with stationary fuel-burning equipment, whose thermal output does not exceed 0.2 MW, production process equipment not falling into the category of big and medium-sized polluters, areas where work done can pollute the air, storage sites of fuel, raw materials, products, waste and captured emitted pollutants, and other facilities and activities polluting the air to a large extent; this group is referred to as ”small polluters”;
REZZO 4: mobile systems provided with air-polluting combustion or other engines; this group includes above all road and rail motor vehicles, vessels and aircraft; it is referred to as ”mobile polluters”.

Specific emissions are emissions of pollutants per unit of time per unit of area or per inhabitant.
Since 2002, volatile organic compounds (VOC) have been reported instead of emissions of hydrocarbons (CxHy). Available data for the emission balance of VOC, which also covers emissions from the use of solvents, paints and varnishes e.g. for outdoor maintenance and in households, do not permit making a breakdown by individual polluter at present.

Table A - 1.7 Air pollution

Pollution of the air is characterised on the basis of measurements obtained from air pollution monitoring networks of the Czech Republic, which are stored in the Immission Information System and the Information System of Air Quality. The systems are operated by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Prague.
Air pollution indicates the quality of air, the level of foreign substances in the air.

Concentrations of different pollutants are expressed as an average of values measured at a certain place and in a certain time interval, as:

an average annual concentration of pollutant (IHr), i.e., a mean concentration determined at a specified place in a specified time interval as an arithmetic mean of average 24-hour concentrations;
an average daily concentration of pollutant (IHd), i.e., a mean concentration determined at a specified place in a time interval of 24 hours, or a mean of at least twelve equally spaced measurements of average half-an-hour concentrations within an interval of 24 hours;
an average 8 hours concentration of pollutant (IH8h), i.e. a mean concentration determinates at a specified place in a time interval 8 hours.

The set of stations reporting the annual arithmetic means of pollution and highest daily concentrations of pollution includes all regular measuring stations where specified pollution (immission) limits were exceeded.
Pollution limit is the maximum permissible concentration (by weight) of a pollutant contained in the air.

Table A - 1.8 Ozone

Ozone is measured with Dobson spectrophotometer on the principle of determining the extent of selective absorption of solar radiation, passing through the atmosphere, by ozone at certain wavelengths. The extent of selective absorption is proportional to the amount of ozone. All the values are given in Dobson units (D.U.) B.P. Scale.