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Poland is one of the European Union countries with the most polluted air. Public awareness of the causes, existence and importance of the problem and its consequences is ow. Students from the Primary School in Jerzmanowice took part in field activities. The aim of their research was to determine the degree of air pollution in the Jerzmanowice-Przeginia province. Taking into account the lichens occurring in this area, it was found that the air is moderately polluted. The most common species was Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. We meet her in zone IV, the so-called middle zone of weakened vegetation. The emission from the Cracow agglomeration and local communication emissions from the national road No. 94 affect the air condition in the province. The winter season is a period of increased air pollution caused by low emissions from local boiler houses or individual furnaces. It should be added that there are no major sources of emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere in the province. Actions have been taken to reduce air pollution. The authorities are encouraging people to replace their boilers by offering subsidies. In 2019, a measuring device was installed on the building of the Municipal Office, thanks to which the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in the atmosphere can be monitored on an ongoing basis. The authorities of the Jerzmanowice-Przeginia commune should make the inhabitants aware of the scale of the problem and the effects of air pollution. Schools should also be involved in actions and projects related to environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As) speciation analysis is scientifically relevant due to the pivotal role the As chemical form plays in toxicity, which, in turn, directly influences the effect it has on the environment. The objective of this study was to develop and optimize a method tailored for studying As compounds in plant samples. Different extraction procedures and HPLC methods were explored to assess their efficiency, determine mass balance, and improve the resolution of compounds in the chromatograms. Conventionally applied anion-exchange chromatography facilitated the separation of well-documented As compounds in the extracts corresponding to 19 to 82% of As present in extracts. To gain insight into compounds which remain undetectable by anion chromatography (18 to 81% of As in the extracts), but still possibly metabolically relevant, we explored an alternative chromatographic approach. The procedure of sample purification and preconcentration through solid-phase extraction, facilitating the detection of those minor As compounds, was developed. The system was further refined to achieve an online 2D-RP-HPLC system, which was employed to analyze the extracts more comprehensively with ICP and ESI MS. Using this newly developed method, As(III)-phytochelatins, along with other arseno-thio-compounds, were detected and identified in extracts derived from the tree roots of seedlings grown in the presence of As(III) and As(V), and a group of arseno lipids was detected in the roots of plants exposed to As(V).