{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T19:45:15Z","timestamp":1767987915546,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,4]],"date-time":"2020-09-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1599177600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009553","name":"Agentura Pro Zdravotnick\u00fd V\u00fdzkum \u010cesk\u00e9 Republiky","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NV 18-09-00151"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NV 18-09-00151"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009553","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Thirty years ago, Northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic was one of the most air polluted areas in Europe. After political changes, the Czech government put forward a research program to determine if air pollution is really affecting human health. This program, later called the \u201cTeplice Program\u201d, was initiated in collaboration with scientists from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). This cooperation made possible the use of methods on the contemporary level. The very high concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter of 10 micrometers or less (PM10), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in the air showed, for the first time, the impact of air pollutants on the health of the population in mining districts: adverse pregnancy outcomes, the impact of air pollution on sperm morphology, learning disabilities in children, and respiratory morbidity in preschool children. A surprising result came from the distribution of the sources of pollution: 70% of PM10 pollution came from local heating and not from power plants as expected. Thanks to this result, the Czech government supported changes in local heating from brown coal to natural gas. This change substantially decreased SO2 and PM10 pollution and affected mortality, especially cardiovascular mortality.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17186454","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,4]],"date-time":"2020-09-04T11:24:24Z","timestamp":1599218664000},"page":"6454","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":19,"title":["Impact of Air Pollution on the Health of the Population in Parts of the Czech Republic"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2500-4572","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Radim J.","family":"Sram","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health and Social Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"32","article-title":"Comparison of mortality in the industrial region of Northern Bohemia in the period of higher and lower level of air pollution","volume":"18","author":"Skorkovsky","year":"2005","journal-title":"Air. Pollut. Prot."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"120","article-title":"Daily mortality and air pollution in Northern Bohemia: Different affects for men and women","volume":"8","author":"Kotesovec","year":"2000","journal-title":"Cent. Eur. J. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sram, R.J., Bulyzhenkov, V., Prilipko, L., and Christen, Y. (1991). New ethical problems related to environmental pollution. Ethical Issues of Molecular Genetics in Psychiatry, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-642-76429-5"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"(2019, April 17). Czech Statistical Office 2018. Available online: http:\/\/www.czso.cz."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"699","article-title":"Teplice Program\u2014The impact of air pollution on human health","volume":"104","author":"Sram","year":"1996","journal-title":"Environ. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_6","first-page":"9","article-title":"The development of air pollution in Teplice, Prachatice and Prague in the last thirteen years","volume":"20","author":"Benes","year":"2007","journal-title":"Air Pollut. Prot."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"(2019, June 18). CHMI (Czech Hydrometeorology Institute) 2018. Available online: http:\/\/portal.chmi.cz\/files\/portal\/docs\/uoco\/isko\/tab_roc\/2018_enh\/pollution_my\/CZTOS_BaP_CZ.html."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"843","DOI":"10.1021\/es970174p","article-title":"Czech air quality monitoring and receptor modelling study","volume":"32","author":"Pinto","year":"1998","journal-title":"Environ. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"Sram, R.J. (2001). Source-receptor relations in Teplice and Prachatice. Teplice Program\u2014Impact of Air Pollution on Human Health, Academia."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1016\/S1383-5718(98)00040-0","article-title":"Genotoxicity of coke-oven and urban air particulate matter in in vitro acellular assays coupled with 32P-postlabeling and HPLC analysis of DNA adducts","volume":"414","author":"Fried","year":"1998","journal-title":"Mutat. Res."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"45","DOI":"10.1016\/S1383-5718(99)00011-X","article-title":"Genotoxicity and embryotoxicity of urban air particulate matter collected during winter and summer period in two different districts of the Czech Republic","volume":"440","author":"Binkova","year":"1999","journal-title":"Mutat. Res."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"262","DOI":"10.1002\/em.2850240403","article-title":"Mutation spectra in Salmonella of complex mixtures: Comparison of urban air to benzo[a]pyrene","volume":"24","author":"Shelton","year":"1994","journal-title":"Environ. Mol. Mutagen."},{"key":"ref_13","first-page":"77","article-title":"Mutation spectra of complex mixtures","volume":"411","year":"1998","journal-title":"Mutat. Res."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1037","DOI":"10.1093\/carcin\/16.5.1037","article-title":"DNA adducts and personal air monitoring of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in an environmentally exposed population","volume":"16","author":"Binkova","year":"1995","journal-title":"Carcinogenesis"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.1080\/03067319408034107","article-title":"Czech-US EPA health study: Assessment of personal and ambient air exposures to PAH and organic mutagens in the Teplice district of Northern Bohemia","volume":"56","author":"Watts","year":"1994","journal-title":"Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"475","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.99107475","article-title":"Fetal growth and maternal exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy","volume":"107","author":"Dejmek","year":"1999","journal-title":"Environ. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1016\/S0165-1218(96)00166-8","article-title":"DNA adducts in human placenta as related to air pollution and to GSTM1 genotype","volume":"390","author":"Topinka","year":"1997","journal-title":"Mutat. Res."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1159","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.001081159","article-title":"The impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and fine particles on pregnancy outcome","volume":"108","author":"Dejmek","year":"2000","journal-title":"Environ. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"257","DOI":"10.1016\/0300-483X(92)90028-D","article-title":"Placental aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity and placental calcification","volume":"71","author":"Huel","year":"1992","journal-title":"Toxicology"},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"187","article-title":"Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in human placenta and threatened preterm delivery","volume":"3","author":"Huel","year":"1993","journal-title":"J. Expo. Anal. Environ. Epidemiol."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1673","DOI":"10.1093\/carcin\/11.9.1673","article-title":"Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts in spontaneously aborted fetal tissue","volume":"11","author":"Hatch","year":"1990","journal-title":"Carcinogenesis"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"503","DOI":"10.1177\/096032719501400607","article-title":"Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in placenta, maternal blood, umbilical cord blood and milk of Indian women","volume":"14","author":"Madhavan","year":"1995","journal-title":"Hum. Exp. Toxicol."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"716","DOI":"10.1177\/096032719701601204","article-title":"Detection of benzo[a]pyrene\u2014DNA adducts in human placenta and umbilical cord blood","volume":"16","author":"Arnould","year":"1997","journal-title":"Hum. Exp. Toxicol."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"718","DOI":"10.1210\/jcem-72-3-718","article-title":"Metabolic effects of growth factors and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on cultured human placental cells of early and late gestation","volume":"72","author":"Guyda","year":"1991","journal-title":"J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1171","DOI":"10.1016\/0006-2952(95)00253-V","article-title":"Modulation by benzo[a]pyrene of epidermal growth factor receptors, cell proliferation, and secretion of human chorionic gonadotropin in human placental lines","volume":"50","author":"Zhang","year":"1995","journal-title":"Biochem. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"270","DOI":"10.1097\/00003081-200606000-00009","article-title":"Adult consequences of fetal growth restriction","volume":"49","author":"Barker","year":"2006","journal-title":"Clin. Obs. Gynecol."},{"key":"ref_27","first-page":"13","article-title":"Trace metals and pregnancy outcome in the Czech Republic","volume":"2","author":"Epstein","year":"2000","journal-title":"Environ. Epidemiol. Toxicol."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.1016\/S1383-5742(99)00048-4","article-title":"Adverse reproductive outcomes from exposure to environmental mutagens","volume":"428","author":"Topinka","year":"1999","journal-title":"Mutat. Res."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2776","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/dei122","article-title":"Episodic air pollution is associated with increased DNA fragmentation in human sperm without other changes in semen quality","volume":"20","author":"Rubes","year":"2005","journal-title":"Hum. Reprod."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"887","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.00108887","article-title":"Semen quality and reproductive health of young Czech men exposed to seasonal air pollution","volume":"108","author":"Selevan","year":"2000","journal-title":"Environ. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mrfmmm.2009.09.010","article-title":"Genetic polymorphisms influence the susceptibility of men to sperm DNA damage associated with exposure to air pollution","volume":"683","author":"Rubes","year":"2010","journal-title":"Mutat. Res."},{"key":"ref_32","unstructured":"Choi, H., Harrison, R., Komulainen, H., and Delgado Saborit, J.M. (2010). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality. Selected Pollutants, World Health Organization Europe, WHO Regional Office for Europe."},{"key":"ref_33","first-page":"1","article-title":"On the incidence of minimal brain dysfunction syndrome in children","volume":"86","author":"Gebhart","year":"1990","journal-title":"Ceskoslov. Psychiat."},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"523","article-title":"Neonatal development altered by maternal sulphur dioxide exposure","volume":"10","author":"Singh","year":"1989","journal-title":"Neurotoxicology"},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"Sram, R.J. (2001). Neurobehavioral effects of exposure to environmental pollutants in Czech children. Teplice Program\u2014Impact of Air Pollution on Human Health, Academia."},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"369","article-title":"A computer-based neurobehavioral evaluation system for occupational and environmental epidemiology: Methodology and validation studies","volume":"7","author":"Baker","year":"1985","journal-title":"Neurotoxicol. Teratol."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1287","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.9084","article-title":"Effect of prenatal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on neurodevelopment in the first 3 years of life among inner\/city children","volume":"114","author":"Perera","year":"2006","journal-title":"Env. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e195","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2008-3506","article-title":"Prenatal airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and child IQ at age 5 years","volume":"124","author":"Perera","year":"2009","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"921","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.1104315","article-title":"Prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure and child behavior at age 6\u20137 years","volume":"120","author":"Perera","year":"2012","journal-title":"Environ. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"531","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2015.57","article-title":"Effects of prenatal exposure to air pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) on development of brain white matter, cognition, and behavior in later childhood","volume":"72","author":"Peterson","year":"2015","journal-title":"JAMA Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1326","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.0901070","article-title":"Prenatal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and children intelligence at 5 years of age in a prospective cohort study in Poland","volume":"118","author":"Edwards","year":"2010","journal-title":"Environ. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3631","DOI":"10.1007\/s11356-014-3627-8","article-title":"Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and cognitive dysfunction in children","volume":"22","author":"Jedrychowski","year":"2015","journal-title":"Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1396","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.11480","article-title":"Benefits of reducing prenatal exposure to coal-burning pollutants to children\u2019s neurodevelopment in China","volume":"116","author":"Perera","year":"2008","journal-title":"Environ. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_44","unstructured":"(2020, August 26). WHO Statistical Information System, Czech Republic. Available online: http:\/\/www.who.int\/countries\/cze\/en."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"676","DOI":"10.1016\/j.atherosclerosis.2010.04.007","article-title":"Longitudinal trends in major cardiovascular risk factors in the Czech population between 1985 and 2007\/8. Czech MONICA and Czech post MONICA","volume":"211","author":"Bruthans","year":"2010","journal-title":"Atherosclerosis"},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"651","DOI":"10.1007\/s10680-017-9456-y","article-title":"Between \u2018pioneers\u2019 of the cardiovascular revolution and its \u2018late followers\u2019: Mortality changes in the Czech Republic and Poland since 1968","volume":"33","author":"Fihel","year":"2017","journal-title":"Eur. J. Popul."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"796","DOI":"10.1177\/1403494815599126","article-title":"Why did life expectancy in Central and Eastern Europe suddenly improve in the 1990s? An analysis by cause of death","volume":"43","author":"Mackenbach","year":"2015","journal-title":"Scand. J. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_48","first-page":"19","article-title":"Comparison of mortality in North-Western Bohemia in two periods of high and low air pollution","volume":"20","author":"Kotesovec","year":"2007","journal-title":"Air. Pollut. Prot."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"601","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.02110601","article-title":"The exposure of non-smoking and smoking mothers to environmental tobacco smoke during different gestational phases and fetal growth","volume":"110","author":"Dejmek","year":"2002","journal-title":"Environ. Health Perspect."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"533","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijheh.2012.12.001","article-title":"Health impact of air pollution to children","volume":"216","author":"Sram","year":"2013","journal-title":"Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health"},{"key":"ref_51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mrfmmm.2013.02.003","article-title":"Factors affecting 27K DNA methylation pattern in asthmatic and healthy children from locations with various environments","volume":"741\u2013742","author":"Rossnerova","year":"2013","journal-title":"Mutat. Res."},{"key":"ref_52","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S40","DOI":"10.21101\/cejph.a4536","article-title":"Impact of air pollution to genome of newborns: ISEE Conference Abstracts","volume":"2016","author":"Sram","year":"2016","journal-title":"Cent. Eur. J. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_53","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"545","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijheh.2016.05.010","article-title":"Impact of air pollution on oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation in mothers and their newborns","volume":"219","author":"Ambroz","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. J. Hyg. Env. Health"},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"401","DOI":"10.1002\/em.22184","article-title":"Gene expression profiling in healthy newborns from diverse localities of the Czech Republic","volume":"59","author":"Honkova","year":"2018","journal-title":"Environ. Mol. Mutagen."},{"key":"ref_55","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"212","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2016.10.165","article-title":"Evaluation of 11 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites in urine of Czech moths and newborns","volume":"577","author":"Urbancova","year":"2017","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/17\/18\/6454\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T10:06:50Z","timestamp":1760177210000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/17\/18\/6454"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,4]]},"references-count":55,"journal-issue":{"issue":"18","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,9]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph17186454"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph17186454","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,4]]}}}