From: mk_thisisit
Poland has produced exceptional scientific talent, with individuals achieving global recognition and making significant contributions across various fields. One such figure is an outstanding Polish scientist who was the only Pole to be included on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world [00:00:46]. She is also an advisor to the international health organization, a member of the Australian Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science award [00:00:52], an accolade often preceding Nobel Prizes [00:01:10].
A Polish Scientist’s Global Impact
The professor’s inclusion on Time magazine’s list was a surprise to her, initially dismissed as spam [00:01:33]. Her impactful research primarily stemmed from two decades of work on the spread of viruses in air particles, initiated during the SARS 1 epidemic in 2003 [00:02:24]. Despite extensive publications demonstrating how particles spread and where they are in the air [00:02:35], securing funding for research on removing these particles from the air was “almost impossible” [00:03:00]. One grant application was even rejected with the reviewer stating that “transmission through the air is not possible” [00:03:13].
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic began and the WHO initially claimed the virus was not airborne [00:03:35], the professor leveraged her accumulated knowledge to organize a group of scientists across various fields—physicists, engineers, and others—within three days [00:04:22]. This group sent a petition to the WHO, emphasizing that the virus was indeed airborne and that strategies focusing solely on hand disinfection were inadequate [00:03:57].
While she had a long-standing collaboration with WHO since the 1990s on general air quality and pollution from emissions [00:04:57] (co-chairing the 2021 air quality recommendations [00:05:28]), the WHO group dealing with infections was a separate entity she had no prior contact with [00:05:36]. Her publication on airborne transmission, initially rejected by WHO, was eventually published [00:06:09]. The day after its appearance, WHO accepted the findings, leading to significant changes in pandemic control measures, including the emphasis on ventilation and mask usage [00:06:18]. The professor believes this shift likely saved hundreds of thousands of lives [00:06:02].
The Broader Impact of Air Quality Research
The professor’s work also highlights the pervasive negative effects of air pollution on human health. While often associated with the respiratory system, scientific and epidemiological evidence indicates that air quality negatively impacts virtually every organ in the human body [00:07:17]. Pollutants penetrate the circulatory system, reaching all parts of the body [00:07:45]. Air quality is one of the biggest causes of stroke [00:08:08], and air pollution causes cancer [00:08:51]. It also affects the reproductive and nervous systems [00:08:41].
Regarding e-cigarettes, the professor notes that both traditional and e-cigarettes involve inhaling contaminants into the lungs, and both are “equally bad” [00:09:42]. She refutes the idea that e-cigarettes are a transition to quitting smoking, stating that this is not observed in practice [00:10:00]. The danger from inhaling contaminants can plateau at a certain point, meaning even significantly more exposure might not increase the danger proportionally [00:10:32].
Challenges and Potential in Polish Science and Technology
The professor’s career path reflects the broader context of Polish scientific talent and its integration into global research. Growing up, she felt that anything was achievable, nurtured by parents who both held university degrees (her mother was a chemist) [00:13:20]. Her early ambition to be a nuclear physicist was pursued without obstacles [00:13:38].
Despite this personal experience, the professor acknowledges that not everyone has the same opportunities or social environment to pursue a scientific career [00:14:39]. She emphasizes that the world needs to exert significant effort to ensure true gender equality in science [00:14:58].
A key question posed to the professor was whether she could have achieved her current scientific standing while living and working solely in Poland. Her answer was “I suppose not” [00:17:09]. Although she had an open invitation to return to AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, her experience working in Toronto revealed greater opportunities for equipment and scientific work abroad compared to what she would have had in Poland [00:17:26]. This highlights a historical challenge within Polish science.
However, the landscape is evolving. The professor, who visits Poland at least once a year [00:16:37], sees positive changes. She remarked on the pleasant appearance of Warsaw upon landing, noting a sense of “order in the landscape” [00:16:04].
Promising Developments
The professor notes that much has already changed in Poland. As an example, she visited Solaris in Krakow, a facility offering opportunities for scientists to conduct “all research at the highest level,” potentially reducing the need for them to leave the country [00:17:56]. This suggests a growing capacity within Poland to support advanced scientific endeavors, a positive sign for the future of Poland’s economic development and its standing in the global scientific community.