Natural environment in the area of copper smelter plants. Trend of changes

Findings of air quality are brought forward in the area of copper industry impact with particular attention paid to copper smelter plants located in Legnica and Głogów area covering the period from 1980 to 2010. The paper identifies occurring changes and trends in the course of years. Lowering of dust-gaseous emissions from the most crucial sources in the area of LegnicaGłogów Copper Mining Region improved air quality in this region in the significant way. The fact is also of some importance that emission of pollutants from big sources combusting fuels for energy generation was reduced either by rundown of production or liquidation of some plants. Based on the conducted state environmental monitoring it is concluded that at present emission of pollutants from industrial sources affects air quality to a lesser degree. There are still problems of air protection waiting to be solved which are connected with: – emission of gaseous-dust pollutants from domestic-municipal sector i. e. so called low emission from individual heating of dwellings. The sources are low emitters where often coal is combusted together with various types of waste. Therefore after starting the period of centrally heated dwellings air quality monitoring stations recorded evidently the increase of dust and gaseous pollutants including benzo (a) pirene. – pollutants emission from road transport which is the cause of high concentration of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons particularly in the vicinity of roads and streets of big road traffic density. Materials and methods: The base of the study were findings obtained from District Inspectorate of Environmental Protection in Legnica in the framework of carried out since 1991 the state environmental monitoring in national, regional and local network. In the period from 1980 till 1990 the studies performed Research Centre of Environmental Control in Legnica