Polish innovation helping to counteract environmental pollution

According to the recent "Air Quality in Europe 2016" report published Wednesday by the European Environment Agency, Poland has the second most severe air pollution in Europe.

Each year, around 50,000 Poles die due to dusty and polluted air. The average reported annual level of PM2.5 is 22.8 micrograms per cubic meter.

In response, Polish researchers have been trying to counteract environmental problems in various manners.

Doctors from Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, have developed a mobile application to assess the influence of smog and air pollution on the body and help diagnose health problems, the Polish Press Agency said Wednesday.

The application was developed by ophthalmologists and otolaryngologists from the University Clinical Hospital in Wroclaw. With the app, one can assess the state of one's eyes and mucus in the upper respiratory track. The app can recommend visiting a doctor.

Another approach has been to use green alternatives such as blue coal. The low-emission fuel has been developed via the Gekon project by the Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal and the firm Polchar.

The refined coal fuel owes its name to the blue color flame during combustion. Burned in a traditional stove, it is more calorific than untreated, traditional coal.

This might be especially helpful in poorer parts of Polish society, which tends to use outdated furnaces and boilers fired with low quality carbon fuels, containing lots of sulfur.

To save money, many use coal slurry and household waste. This leads to more and more severe pollution. As it is practically impossible to replace all old stoves, a change of fuel to the low-emission type is being mooted as a useful solution.

Two thousand tons of innovative fuel has already been used in five locations in Poland as part of a pilot program. Enditem