Representativeness of the particulate matter pollution assessed by an official monitoring station of air quality in Santiago, Chile: projection to human health

Abstract

Santiago, capital city of Chile, presents air pollution problems for decades mainly by particulate matter, which significantly affects population health, despite national authority efforts to improve air quality. Different properties of the particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 fractions, particle surface and number) were measured with an optical spectrometer. The sampling was done during spring 2019 at different sites within the official representative area of Independencia monitoring station (ORMS-IS). The results of this study evidence large variations in PM mass concentration at small-scale areas within the ORMS-IS representative zone, which reports the same value for the total area. Results from PM properties such as PM1, particle number and particle surface distribution show that these properties should be incorporated in regular monitoring in order to improve the understanding of the effects of these factors on human health. The use of urban-climate canopy-layer models in a portion of the sampled area around the monitoring station demonstrates the influence of street geometry, building densities and vegetation covers on wind velocity and direction. These factors, consequently, have an effect on the potential for air pollutants concentrations. The results of this study evidence the existence of hot spots of PM pollution within the area of representativeness of the ORMS-IS. This result is relevant from the point of view of human health and contributes to improve the effectiveness of emission reduction policies.

Características Físicas Del Material Particulado Al Interior De Un Campus Universitario

“…(Kheirbek, 2016), generando un fuerte impacto en salud. En Santiago, el 67% de las emisiones totales en masa de MP corresponden a los vehículos motorizados y tenemos escasa información sobre las características de número de partículas y área superficial de ellas (Préndez et al, 2022).…”

Production, Recycling and Economy of Palladium: A Critical Review

“…Emission legislation refers to laws, regulations, and standards put in place by governments and international organizations to control and limit the amount of pollutants and harmful substances released into the environment, particularly from various industrial activities, vehicles, and other sources. These legislations are designed to address environmental concerns, protect public health, and mitigate the negative impacts of pollution on ecosystems and human well-being [ 91 , 92 ]. The connection between emission regulations related to vehicle emissions and the demand for palladium is strongly tied to palladium’s crucial role as a key component in catalytic converters [ 93 ].…”

Airborne Particulate Distribution and Removal (Settling) by Statistics Interest and Physicalness

“…Lots of study by their experimental data and analysis, like the ones as [21], [22], [23] and [24], show that 10 settling should happen only after PM10 has travelled down a few distance away from its source; although, distance where most concentration (PM10) is found is most important. Based on such finding, a schematic layout diagram could be drawn which provides an idea of how such settling happens (Figure 4).…”