Análise do material particulado emitido na cidade de Ponta Grossa

Abstract

Atmospheric pollution have been targeted by countless studies around the world, mainly due to its impacts on human health. Among the well known pollutants, the one with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5μm (PM2.5), deserves special attention because of its size. It can damage the alveoli and cause respiratory diseases. Depending on its aerodynamic diameter, it can reach the bloodstream, causing cardiovascular diseases and even death. Nonetheless, of the many studies developed focused on PM2.5, there is no data about PM2.5 for many important countryside cities in Brazil. In the state of Paraná, Curitiba, Londrina and Paranaguá are the only cities with data about PM2.5. Recently, the Environmental Institute of Paraná (IAP) installed an air quality monitoring station in the city of Ponta Grossa (fourth most populous city in the state). However, it can track gaseous pollutants, total suspended particles and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10μm (PM10), but does not track PM2,5. Therefore, the objective of this work is presenting the procedures for sampling, determine the daily mass concentration of PM2.5, chemical characterization of PM2.5, Black Carbon calculus, determine the emission sources through enrichment factor and determine the health risks, that is in progress in Ponta Grossa by the Federal University of Technology - Paraná - Ponta Grossa campus in association with the Federal University of Paraná. This research is part of the approved project on Universal Call MCTI/CNPq/Universal 14/2014, having the support of the Sanitation Company of Paraná (SANEPAR), which provided the sampling site. The samplings are very important so that future researches can have an environment-toxicological panorama about atmospheric pollution of the fourth most populous city in the state, being the first data about the theme in Ponta Grossa. According to preliminary results obtained between the 27th of September of 2016 and the 07th of January of 2017, 14 days exceeded the 25 μg/m3 concentration limit for MP2.5 established by the World Health Organization (WHO). During the study, the average (24.3 μg/m3) is below the acceptable limit, although it´s higher than other studies have found. The calculus of the enrichment factor showed us that the main sources of emission were vehicular and industrial. The Black Carbon analysis could confirm it because of it´s great fraction on the composition of the analyzed particulate matter. The risk analysis due to PM2.5 elemental concentration has not presented any carcinogenic or non-carcinogenic risks to human health.