Spatial Evaluation of Health Risk due to Inhalation of PM2.5 Pollutants in the Metropolitan Areas of Toluca Valley and Mexico Valley
Raúl Venancio Díaz-Godoy *
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ), Estado de México, México.
José López-Monroy
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ), Estado de México, México.
Jaime Moreno-Alcántara
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ), Estado de México, México.
Judith Castellanos-Moguel
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco. Departamento El Hombre y su Ambiente, Ciudad de México. México.
María Teresa Nuñez-Cardona
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco. Departamento El Hombre y su Ambiente, Ciudad de México. México.
Martha Patricia Sierra-Vargas
Departamento de Investigación en Toxicología y Medicina Ambiental. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas. Ciudad de México, México.
Octavio Gamaliel Aztatzi-Aguilar
Departamento de Investigación en Toxicología y Medicina Ambiental. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas. Ciudad de México, México.
Angélica Flores-Ortiz
TecNM, Instituto Tecnológico de Toluca (ITTol). Estado de México, México.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: In the present work, health risk from inhalation of PM2.5 pollutants in both areas was assessed spatially
Place and Duration of Study: The metropolitan areas of the Toluca (MATV) and Mexico Valleys (MAMV), between September and November 2009.
Methodology: A simultaneous sampling campaign was conducted in the Toluca and Mexico Valleys on alternate days from September-22 to November-29, 2009. From the samples collected, their gravimetric concentration was obtained, and S, Cl, K, Ca Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb were determined using the particle-induced X-ray emission technique (PIXE).
Results: The health risk by inhalation of PM2.5 with a higher result for the metropolitan area of the Toluca Valley (2.09 for adults, 6.25 for children from 6-12 years old, and 6.58 for children from 2-6 years old) in contrast with that of the metropolitan area of the Mexico Valley (1.67 for adults, 5.20 for children from 6-12 years old, and 5.28 for children from 2-6 years old).
Conclusion: These results are perhaps due to the higher concentration of Cl and Mn for the MATV. Additionally, the air parcels from sampling site MAMV go to MATV and thus contributes to an increased health risk from inhalation of PM2.5. There are health risks for the inhalation of PM2.5 in the MATV and MAMV study areas. The risk only considers the elemental risk. There are no similar studies for this comparison between MATV and MAMV in the literature.
Keywords: Toluca, Mexico, PIXE, Health, risk, PM2.5