All choked up

Pražské služby, a.s., which runs an incinerator in Prague 10–Malešice, emitted 16,159 kilograms of toxic waste in the air last year.

Jiřina Štďpánková, a children's doctor working in Prague 5, says cases of allergies have shot up among children. "One in four children that come to see me has allergies now," she says. "And, of course, pollution is largely responsible."

Doctors say air pollution can also affect adults, leading to decreased fertility in men and women bearing children with lower birth weights.

"The environment certainly plays an important role in the development of the fetus," says Tomáš Řádek, a gynecologist in Prague 4.

Ivo Procházka, a physician at Charles University, says there is a direct link between pollution and sperm count. "Of course, it's difficult to say how big the role is," Procházka says. "But, generally, in places with increased pollution, men's fertility rate tends to be lower."

Because many of the toxins are carcinogenic, increased cases of cancer are another problem, according to Petrlík.

The Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic reports that there were 8,400 cancer cases in Prague in 2003, the most recent year for which data was available. That's nearly a 10 percent increase from 1999.

While toxic emissions from companies like Pražská teplárenská contribute to Prague's pollution, Petrlík says that the biggest source of air pollution continues to be car traffic.

GED testing shows that between 2001 and 2005 the concentration of dust particles increased 20 percent. Fine dust particles, which mostly come from car exhaust fumes, are the most dangerous because they are inhaled the deepest, Šrám says.

Moreover, rising gas prices have prompted many people to revert to burning coal and wood, which does a lot to decrease air quality in winter.

Petrlík says that, although factories contribute less to air pollution than car traffic, companies like the incinerator facility in Malešice can be a significant threat to their immediate environment. The Malešice facility, he says, releases a high concentration of nitric oxide, a carcinogen.

One of the ways the city tries to reduce dust particles in the air is by spraying the streets with water.

But that is not dealing with the problem head on.

"The only solution for that is to finish building the highway bypass that will divert traffic away from Prague," says City Hall spokesman Jiří Wolf.

But no one is able to say when that will happen.

It would help to introduce stricter technical inspections of cars and trucks, Šrám says. Prague not only has one of the highest concentrations of cars in Europe, but automobiles here tend to be older than those in Western Europe. And it's the old cars and diesel-guzzling trucks that do the most damage.

Other articles in News (1/11/2006):

• Unbearable Lightness lifts Czechs
• Ministry tender under scrutiny
• Hostel II is bloody good business
• Rare illness troubles family
• Don't scoff: Tesco revered as a shrine
• ODS wins a majority in Senate
• Against the ebbing tide
• Seven Days

Be the first to add a comment!

Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.