Graphic Yearbook 2015
VII. AREAS WITH EXCEEDANCES OF LIMIT VALUES
VII.1 AREAS WITH EXCEEDED LIMIT VALUES WITH REGARD TO HUMAN
HEALTH PROTECTION
The Air Protection Act sets the limit values for selected pollutants without further distinguishing between limit values and target values. For the year 2015, areas with exceeded limit values are defined together for all pollutants monitored for the protection of human health. The map of areas where at least one limit value is exceeded1 (ozone excluded) presents complete information on ambient air quality in the territory of the Czech Republic. In 2015 such areas covered 20.4 % of the country’s territory, inhabited by approximately 51.5 % of the population (Fig. VII.1).
The inclusion of zones and agglomerations into these areas is mostly caused by the exceedance of the daily limit value for suspended PM10 particles and by the exceedance of the annual limit value for PM2.5 and benzo[a]pyrene (Table VII.1). To a lesser extent, the inclusion of respective territories in these areas in 2015 was influenced also by exceedances of the limit value for cadmium.
Comparison with the year 2013 shows that the share of areas with the exceedance of at least one limit value1 decreased, which is given mainly by the reduction of the area of territories with exceedances of limit values for benzo[a]pyrene.
When ground-level ozone (O3) is included, 42.1 % of the territory of the Czech Republic, inhabited by 55.0 % of the population, belonged to areas with exceedances of at least one limit value in 2015 (Fig. VII.2). The rise of the share of inhabitants after including ground-level ozone in the delimitation of these areas is not high. This is thanks to the fact that increased or even limit-exceeding concentrations of ozone occur mainly in relatively clean natural areas, i.e. in areas with lower population density (Fig. IV.4.1). Nevertheless, in 2015 as compared to 2014, the share of the territory/population exposed to limit-exceeding O3 concentrations increased substantially (Chapter IV.4).
To retain continuity with evaluations made in previous years (Fig. VII.3, Table VII.1), also separately delineated were territories with exceeded limit values set by point 1 of Annex No. 1 to the Air Protection Act (formerly areas with deteriorated air quality, so-called OZKO) and territories with exceeded limit values set by point 3 of Annex No. 1 to the Air Protection Act (formerly areas with exceedances of target values, ozone excluded). The development of the delineation of these areas is given mainly by limit-exceeding air pollution caused by PM10 particles; to a certain extent it corresponds with the trend of their concentrations (Chapter IV.1.2). In other words, the largest area of OZKO territories was delineated in the years 2006, 2010 and 2011. Developments concerning territories formerly referred to as areas with target value exceedances (ozone excluded) are given mainly by above-the-limit air pollution caused by benzo[a]pyrene. For further evaluation, however, it is necessary to consider also the uncertainty of estimates of fields of annual average benzo[a]pyrene concentrations (Chapter IV.2, Annex I).
Compa- rison of areas with exceeded limit values, which are being set since 2006, clearly shows that a considerable part of the territory of the Czech Republic is constantly exposed excessive concentrations of ambient air pollutants and that this mainly concerns densely populated areas (Figs. VII.1 and VII.2).
VII.2 AREAS WITH EXCEEDED LIMIT VALUES WITH REGARD TO THE
PROTECTION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND VEGETATION
As regards the protection of the most valuable natural localities in the Czech Republic, also evaluated are exceedances of limit values2 for the protection of ecosystems and vegetation in NPs and PLAs (Table VII.2). In 2014 exceedances were recorded in 3.9 % of the territory of NPs and PLAs (Fig. VII.5).
Limit-exceeding concentrations of NOx occur especially near roads; as concerns the most valuable natural parts of the Czech Republic, the ambient limit for NOx was exceeded in very small areas of only a few PLAs (Table VII.2, Fig. VII.4).
In 2015 the area where ambient ground-level ozone were exceeded, i.e. the AOT40 exposure index, expanded (Fig. IV.4.4). In 2015 the PLA Bílé Karpaty, the PLA Pálava and the Podyjí NP were the areas most exposed to limit-exceeding concentrations of O3 (Fig. VII.5).
In 2015, as in the previous five years, the ambient limit for both the annual and winter average concentration of SO2 was not exceeded in any PLA or NP.
Fig. VII.1 Areas with exceeding of the health protection
limit values, ground-level ozone excluded, 2015
Fig. VII.2 Areas with exceeding of the health protection limit
values, incl. ground-level ozone, 2015
Fig. VII.3 Limit value exceedances in the Czech Republic, % of
the area, 2006–2015
Fig. VII.4 Areas with exceeding of the ecosystems/vegetation
protection limit values in national parks and protected
landscape areas, ground-level ozone excluded, 2015
Fig. VII.5 Areas with exceeding of the ecosystems/vegetation
protection limit values in national parks and protected
landscape areas, including ground-level ozone, 2015
1Annual limit values for PM10, PM2.5, benzo[a]pyrene, NO2, lead, cadmium, arsenic, nickel and benzene, limit value for CO (max. daily 8-hour running average), daily limit value for PM10 and SO2, 1-hour limit value for SO2 and NO2.
2Limit value for the annual and winter average concentration of SO2, limit value for the annual average concentration of NOx and limit value for O3 expressed as the AOT40 exposure index.
