Air quality and seasons

While it might seem that deterioration in air quality only occurs in winter, when the heating season is underway, the truth is that various factors affect the air all year round.

Air quality in spring and summer

Warm months are not associated with air pollution. Quite the opposite - this is the period when people are most eager to spend time outdoors and enjoy the sunny weather. However, there are factors that affect air quality and not everyone will enjoy spending time outside their home. The spring and summer period is a time when grasses, trees and flowers bloom - for allergy sufferers this means fighting off troublesome ailments such as a runny nose or watery eyes. In addition to the ubiquitous pollen, it is also worth mentioning the more intense rainfall in the spring - it causes an increase in the level of moisture, which can also appear in houses and apartments, causing efflorescence on the walls. Spring also sees an increase in ammonia levels, released from fertilizers used in agricultural activities. It reacts with other existing compounds in the atmosphere to create secondary particulate matter. Summer is the time of year when the highest levels of ground-level ozone, which is produced by the reaction of sunlight with nitrogen oxides, can be observed. Although the phenomenon of smog is mainly associated with winter, it is worth mentioning that we also deal with it in summer! In the summer months, photochemical smog, or Los Angeles-type smog, is a common phenomenon, which consists of substances such as carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.

Air quality in autumn and winter

Winter is associated with smog and smoke from chimneys for most of us - this is experienced primarily by people living in larger cities. Autumn is the beginning of the heating season, which significantly worsens air quality. In autumn, fireplaces are also a common occurrence, and their smoke also has a negative impact on the air we breathe. During the autumn months, when trees shed their leaves, you can see an increase in methanol and acetaldehyde levels, released from the decaying leaves. These types of volatile organic compounds react with nitrogen oxides in the sunlight and contribute to the formation of ozone. In winter, smog is definitely the biggest problem. However, apart from it, it is also worth paying attention to the air quality in our homes. In the winter months, we open windows much less often, and this, combined with heating radiators, means that the air in the rooms becomes dry and household members may experience an unpleasant scratchy throat and respiratory problems. Candles or smoke from fireplaces often contribute to the air quality in our homes - although they create a warm, cosy atmosphere, the substances they produce significantly reduce the air quality in homes.