부산대학교 도서관

PM10 concentrations in Krakow have decreased by about 50% during the last decade, however, high levels of air pollution are still observed in this Polish city especially during wintertime. Poland’s first official COVID-19 case was detected in March 2020, and subsequently the first restrictions to reduce transmission were implemented. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the COVID-19 lockdown on the mass concentrations of Airborne Particulate Matter (APM) as well as on the deposited dose of particles in Human Respiratory Tract (HRT). For that the hourly particle number and mass concentrations of 10 size fractions of APM were assessed in 2019 (before pandemic) and 2022 (during pandemic) and the deposited dose of particles in the HRT was determined through the dosimetry model ExDoM2. Results showed that the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM2.5−10 did not alter significantly in the two periods and that the daily PM dose in the HRT did not decrease during the lockdown. These results provided important information for policy design in the environment, energy, transport, industry and health sectors once they indicated that the main source of APM in the city was associated with residential combustion and therefore it is essential to continue the investment in cleaner energy in the residential sector.