Exposure to particulate matter (PM) represents an important health risk in urban areas because it is associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Knowledge of PM composition and sources is essential in the design of policies to reduce the burden of airborne particles. Although several urban areas in Mexico struggle with maintaining good air quality, little is known about the processes that determine the presence of pollutants in the atmosphere beyond Mexico City. Here, we describe the chemical composition of PM10 and PM2.5 in the metropolitan area of Querétaro (in Central Mexico) and identify the major emission sources and contributions using positive matrix factorization. We used, combined, and compared different data sets to gain more insight into the sources found. Three sources were found for PM10: resuspension of mineral and construction dust, an anthropogenic source with incineration, industrial, and secondary particles, and biomass burning. For PM2.5, the sources found include resuspension, anthropogenic (with incineration and industrial particles), vehicular, biomass burning, and secondary. This study is the first to investigate the chemical composition and source apportionment of PM10 and PM2.5 in the metropolitan area of Querétaro. Although some of the sources found are probably local, the regional contribution to the PM concentration is significant, thus revealing the importance of studying the central region of Mexico, which is an important industrial and agricultural area, with 20 million people distributed in several major urban areas, in an integrated way.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.