While some people say that they are forced to try to sell their houses in Kėdainiai and look for other cities where the smell is not so bad, while others are still trying to file complaints with the National Public Health Center about the bad graves, the municipality is not really solving this problem. When residents start to complain more, businessmen, whose managed companies are possibly emitting those bad smells, imitate the solution of the problem and continue to sit again – after all, “everything is according to the law, after all, nothing can be done.”
Meanwhile, scientists studying the problem of stench have long been trumpeting the dangers, with research showing that persistent stench in the air is directly linked to depression and other psychological problems.
Nine complaints are being investigated
At the end of the summer, the NVSC examined as many as nine complaints from residents of Kėdainiai region regarding bad smells. Complaints were filed regarding the odors emitted by AB “Lifosa”, AB “Nordic Sugar Kėdainiai” and UAB “Kėdainių vandenys” in the city of Kėdainiai.
The third stage of odor control took place – organized air sampling at the target pollution sources to determine the odor emission indicators.
NVSC has not yet announced the results of these investigations.
Residents continue to complain of sulfur and fuel oil smells
And even though the summer came and went, and residents’ complaints are still being investigated, it didn’t change anything – when autumn came, the stench in Kėdainiai continued to linger. On September 7-9, the editorial office again received many complaints and questions from the residents, what is it that stinks in the city again.
“Even from sleep I wake up with a scratchy throat, and today even the pressure has dropped. It’s getting scary,” writes local resident Marija on the social network.
“In the village of Paobel, the smell of sulfur is everywhere, and not only,” Jolita consoled herself.
“There is a tragedy in Kėdainiai with smells, at one point the cleaning facilities also smell eerily, then the smell of slurry from the Josvainiai agrofirma, fuel oil, and sulfur, and the devil knows what else, but you can be sure that there will always be some kind of stench,” Rokas seconded.
“When you don’t stay in the city for a long time and after a few months you don’t enter the city, but straight into the sewers. Also, guests from another city, when they come, ask why the sewage stinks so much at your place,” said Virginia.
Other callers said that the stench of fuel oil in the old town and the city center is simply unbearable 24/7 these days. It stinks so much that it stings both the throat and the eyes.
“And you want to say that it is not harmful to health?” Margarita wondered.
Residents consoled themselves that the unpleasant smell lingers not only in the city center, but also on Rasa street, Paobel village and other parts of the city.
The situation is so critical that some local residents have publicly spoken about the fact that the stench can become a reason to simply move away to live elsewhere.
The concentration of solid particles also increased
It is true that residents who complain of a sore throat probably experience such experiences due to the increased concentration of solid particles in the air.
“The increased concentration of solid particles throughout Lithuania (including Kėdainii) is closely related to the forest and peatland fire that started in Belarus, due to the strong and gusty southeast wind.
Today in Kėdainiai, the concentration of solid particles was stable in the first half of the day, and in the second half of the day, when the wind strengthened and traffic intensified, an increase in PM10 average daily rate exceeding the limit values was recorded.
Recommendations in conditions of increased air pollution remain similar: avoid intense physical activity, stay away from visible sources of pollution (e.g. busy streets that cause dust), clean rooms with a wet method, avoid ventilating rooms in order to reduce the ingress of pollutants.
It is also very important to monitor your health status and, if you feel unwell, contact a medical facility immediately. Particulate matter can most affect people in the risk group – the elderly, those suffering from chronic diseases, babies, children and pregnant women,” said Agnė Ruzgutė, Public Health Specialist of Kėdainiai Public Health Office, who carries out public health monitoring.
Scientists find stench leads to poorer psychological health When it comes to air pollution, the direct effects of air pollution on people’s physical health have been studied for a long time. However, it was only recently that attention was drawn to the fact that stench occurs even when air pollution is not actually recorded.
Hence, the physical health of people may not be affected, but the stench, as an unpleasant, albeit subjective aspect, greatly disturbs the psychological health of the population.
“Air pollution also affects emotional health. Research shows that exposure to air pollutants can cause depression, anxiety, psychoses and possibly even neurocognitive disorders, such as dementia,” says A. Ruzgutė.
In a 2018 scientific study conducted by United States scientists Mohamed A. Eltarkawe and Shelly L. Miller, it was determined that odor pollution is one of the most important priorities of the North Denver community studied.
Study participants aged 45 and younger were found to be more likely than usual to experience depression, sadness or feelings of helplessness directly related to the constant stench in the air.
Some studies have shown that an unpleasant smell has a great influence on the mood of the population and the ability to concentrate.
The study also found that people’s life satisfaction increases in months when there is less odor in the air.
A scientific article published in 2021, which examined the effects of unpleasant odors on citizens, revealed that people living in an environment surrounded by unpleasant odors experience much more stress due to the fact that their leisure activities become limited – people avoid going out into the yard, taking a walk, and socializing because of the lingering stench. This was especially important during the pandemic, when it was necessary to ventilate the premises in order to reduce the chance of infection, but the residents simply did not want to do it because of the stench in the air.
2024-09-11 04:48:28