State page for Health in Prague

The imission monitoring programme is focused on the following substances: sulphur dioxide, total nitrogen oxides, TSP fraction airborne particles, metals in suspended aerosol samples: As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Carbon monoxide concentrations were monitored in five places; one of them (National Institute of Public Health) also monitored selected polyaromatic hydrocarbons. The results were processed in the framework of an overall air quality assessment.
An overall evaluation of air quality of Prague using the annual air quality index ranges between “slightly polluted” and “polluted”. Thus in terms of air pollution Prague ranks among the most polluted cities in the country.
Compared to 1996, 1997 pollution levels except for sulphur dioxide showed a slight increase. The major pollutants whose concentrations exceeded applicable imission limits were nitrogen oxides.
In 1997 full-scale measurements of imission concentrations of selected polyaromatic hydrocarbons were conducted in Prague 10 at the monitoring station situated on the premises of the National Institute of Public Health. The recommended daily imission limits were exceeded only in the case of benzo(a)pyrene (1 ng/m³) in 50 % of measurements.
As to the concentrations of metals in suspended aerosol samples the fortnightly summary values determined are roughly the same as the concentrations measured in 1996. The yearly lead and cadmium imission limits were not exceeded.

Drinking Water

The Monitoring programme also entails monitoring the quality of drinking water delivered by each of the mass-supply sources. In 1997 all defined limits were exceeded in only 0.1 of all cases. The quality of water remains more or less stable and compared to other cities participating in the Monitoring programme, Prague has the lowest number of samples that exceed any of the applicable limit values.

Noise

The monitoring of medical consequences and disturbing effects of noise takes place on three sites in Prague (Vinohrady, Zizkov, and Vršovice). There is always a “silent” site and a “noisy” one. The differences between the previous and the current monitoring periods indicate that noise level changes exceeding measurement accuracy tolerance limits have only occurred in a few sites outside Prague. All in all, there has not been any significant increase or decrease of noise levels both in Prague and in the Czech Republic as a whole.

Toxic Substances in Foodstuffs, Dietary Exposure

Since 1994 assessments of risks posed by undesirable substances present in foo dstuffs have been based on an estimate of exposure doses which are in addition to concentrations of non-indigenous substances based on the standard consumption of foodstuffs by an average citizen (a part of the so-called consumer basket). The exposure doses are subsequently compared against commonly used exposure standards (e.g. ADI - Allowed Daily Intake, TDI - Tolerable Daily Intake, PMTDI - Provisional Maximum Daily Intake, PTWI - Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake, RfD - Reference Dose, as used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency). In general, the above standards are defined as doses which assuming a lifetime intake do not result in any health damage.
Foodstuffs (160 predefined commodities which together constitute the Consumer Foodstuff Basket) are sampled throughout the year in retail outlets in 12 Czech towns or cities including Prague. Having been pre-processed as necessary the samples are analyzed for the presence of 45 chemical substances including not just major contaminants but also nutrients. The selection of the monitored substances is based on international recommendations and takes into account the substances covered by the monitoring system as well.
Results obtained by analyzing the samples taken in Prague as well as the subsequent dietary exposure estimate do not differ from those valid for the entire population of the Czech Republic. Also, there has not been any “remote” value registered in Prague and none of the composite samples analyzed showed a value in excess of those stipulated in health and hygienic regulations in effect . An overall statistical processing of the results has not proven any differences insofar as exposure doses of people living in each of the monitored towns or cities are concerned. This corroborates an earlier assumption, namely: if foodstuffs are purchased in a retail network, the probable exposure dose of the monitored substances in question is identical for sites otherwise different in terms of environmental quality.

There is also information related to this issue in the following sections of the report
	Air Quality Water Noise