Total suspended particles (TSP) and breathable particles (PM10) in Aburra Valley, Colombia

Abstract

In the Aburra’s valley, nor-western region of Colombia, inhabited by 3 million people, crossed by 400,000 vehicles; with the presence of establishments of industrial sectors: textile, foods and metal-mechanical; The concentrations of total suspended particles (PST) and breathable particles (PM10), were evaluated, during the period: December of 2000 to June of 2001. The determinations of PST and PM10, were performed in ten stations, distributed of north to the south, covering urban and rural zones with the municipalities of: Girardota, Bello, Medellín, Itagüí, Sabaneta and Caldas. When analyzing relation PM10/PST, was that the best statistical correlations are located in the zones center and the south of the valley. In addition the increasing tendency in relation PM10/PST was observed, from 0.527 for the rural station Girardota (North), to 0.813 in the urban station Caldas (South). This gradient in relation PM10/PST apparently this related to the wind regime that predominates in the Valley of Aburrá with direction the northsouth, which causes that the fine particles migrate of north to the south, increasing relation PM10/PST in the same direction.

Keywords

• Air pollution
• particulate matter
• total suspended particles
• breathable particles
• Valle de Aburrá