The impact of smog on the concentration of particulate matter in the antelope house in the Silesian zoological garden

Krzysztof Pawlak; Zenon Nieckarz

doi:10.7717/peerj.9191

The impact of smog on the concentration of particulate matter in the antelope house in the Silesian zoological garden

PeerJ. 2020 May 28:8:e9191. doi: 10.7717/peerj.9191. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Krzysztof Pawlak¹, Zenon Nieckarz^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Agricultural University of Cracow, Department of Zoology and Animal Welfare, Faculty of Animal Science; Cracow, Poland.
² Physical Education Academy in Cracow, Department of Muscle Physiology, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Cracow, Poland.
³ Jagiellonian University Cracow, Experimental Computer Physics Department, Institute of Physics, Cracow, Poland.

Abstract

Persistent negligence in the field of environmental protection in Poland as well as strong dependance of the energy sector on the fossil fuels have led to serious pollution of the air with particulate matter, which at high concentrations is capable of penetrating into the buildings. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of particulate airborne pollution on the concentration of particulate matter inside the antelope house in the Silesian Zoological Garden located within the Upper Silesia in Poland. The research was conducted from February to May in 2018. The records taken in the research period show that the concentration of PM10 exceeded the level of 50 µg/m³ outside the building during 26 days and 11 days when it comes to the concentration of particulate matter inside the antelope house. The quantity of particulate matter in the antelope house is strongly correlated with the concentration of the particles in the air. Despite fitting existing ventilation system with a filter that reduces the dust level by 60% during the highest level of smog, particulate matter concentration in the antelope house exceeded acceptable limit for PM10 more than twofold. Particle size-fraction analysis revealed that as much as 85% of the particles detected in the studied compartment constitute PM2.5.

Keywords: Animals; Buildings; Particulate matter; Smog.

Grants and funding

This research was financially supported by the statutory activity 215/DZ06 of the Faculty of Animal Science, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.