I will start this article with this reflection: we can choose the water we drink and the food we eat.... but can we really choose the air we breathe?
This thought always comes to mind because every time I start the background of some air quality research work is mentioned the consequences of respiratory diseases and the number of deaths per year which are always figures Alarming.
I will share with you some of these situations, especially I mention in my last article related to my grade work, which could create sensitivity in those people who currently suffer from any condition or respiratory illness because Many of them could not avoid living where they lived, standing where they were standing or changing their working environment... maybe they had no choice?
The saddest thing is that many of us think that these consequences can not be avoided because in raising the effective solutions to reduce these tragedies to our population what we mainly raise are individual actions, but that the Big problem comes mainly from big industries, corporations and transnational companies.
The air we breathe is invisible, odorless and tasteless. It is essential for human life and is consumed in an amount ranging from 30 to 40 pounds/day. The air that man breathes has always been contaminated, either by natural causes, or by artificial causes, such as dust, fog, gases, vapors and smells.
The primitive sources of natural pollution have their origin in earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and pollen of plants and fire, which devastated large hectares of forests from the beginning of the history of mankind. The man in almost everything he does to ensure his survival, such as cooking his food, heating his house, producing the goods he needs, cultivating the soil, building buildings, eliminating waste and, finally, with the means of locomotion, produces Waste that the air is responsible for transporting from one side to the other. But sustained economic growth in the world over the last 100 years has led to a major increase in productive and industrial activity. This has led to environmental impacts that, in most of the cases, have not been dimensioned such as climate change with the increase of greenhouse gases, ozone layer reduction, photochemical smog, acid rain, and especially damage to human health as in recent years has increased diseases such as: eye irritation, throat and respiratory system, skin irritation and mucosa, penetration of the alveoli, increased of antioxidant metabolism, cellular damage to the lung. Changes in pulmonary function, morphological alterations, depression of defense mechanisms, edema, bronchiolitis obliterans, bronquiolar fibrosis and emphysema.
The environmental problem of air pollution is one of the most relevant, both because of its magnitude and the perception of the community and is manifested especially in industrial settlements, that has made in some countries regulate quality monitoring of air starting from inventory of emissions and models of atmospheric dispersion, in urban settlements and industrial complexes.
Large quantities of contaminants can be dispersed rapidly in the air or accumulated in higher or smaller concentrations, depending on the topography of the geographical area and the meteorological conditions that exist at the time of dispersal. The air pollutants themselves can be defined as the mixture of a wide variety of elements that change in terms of their shape and concentration depending on time and place.
The problems faced by scientists and the general public are determined by the economic and social implications that derive from air pollution and seem to be the hardest to overcome.
The end of this problem could be very far away but at this point we will raise remembering that all conflict by very complex is solved with communication and obtaining all the data and statistics possible, since it is of paramount importance to obtain Information on air quality, to facilitate the protection of the atmospheric environment, in many countries have made the necessary budgetary effort for the provision of technologically advanced equipment and based on scientifically accepted principles.
To obtain this information and at the same time an effective way of communicating it are equipped with air quality monitoring systems such as monitoring networks.
Air quality monitoring systems seek to carry out a comprehensive control of the area presumably contaminated or polluted in order to have correct information, develop strategies and policies to minimize the risks posed by Air pollution to health and natural resources and a large part of monitoring systems are based on controlling compliance with air quality standards.
Air monitoring is a powerful tool to prevent air pollution-related events. Air quality monitoring provides the scientific basis needed to develop policies and strategies, establish objectives and plan pollution control actions. Its application is improved and increased, as part of a procedure aimed at managing air quality, when used in conjunction with air quality models and Emissions inventories.
In any urban, rural or industrial settlement must design an air quality monitoring network as it allows to collect important information from the detailed meteorological characteristics of the study area as well as to update inventory data from Emissions in existing and project companies to then assess the impact of concentrations of gases and particulates in the sensitive area and the nearby populations.
A monitoring network could be the beginning of obtaining information to improve the quality of life, health and safety workers of industrial complexes and of the inhabitants of nearby populations all this thanks to the capacity of having a tool To assess and manage air quality. Since it comprises a set of sampling stations, usually fixed and continuous, that are established to measure the environmental parameters necessary to meet the fixed monitoring objectives and that cover the entire extent of a given area.
A design of an air quality monitoring network allows to collect important information from the detailed meteorological characteristics of the study area as well as to update emissions inventory data in existing companies and those that are in Project to then evaluate the impact that the levels of concentration of gases and particles could have in the area of the nearby towns.
because the decisions that have to be taken for the design of a monitoring network depend primarily on the monitoring objectives, there are no fixed and simple rules. However, in practice the number and distribution of air quality monitoring stations required in any network depend on the area to be covered, the spatial variability of the pollutants to be measured and the requirement of data you will need to use.
To do all this you need qualified professionals with ample knowledge which must take into account the following steps:
•Geography and climate.
Geographic boundaries;
• Topographical and climatic conditions;
• What is the meteorological behavior of the area?
• Emission rates from fixed sources.
• Critical Contaminants
• Dispersion model and monitoring data.
• What are the points of major and minor concentration
After having the sites of higher concentration is applied the method of location and number of automatic stations to then apply the criteria of localization such as:
An additional background station (winds above)
Additional stations located in the main concentrations of population in the region analyzed and which is under the influence of industrial activity .Around the sampling site and do not take samples on the side surfaces of the buildings.
The place must have permanent access facilities for the operators, for consumables and spare parts, for automatic equipment, must have at least one landline or cellular telephone for the sending of data, must have electricity and Load availability for all the equipment that will be installed.
The implementation of air quality monitoring networks represents the initiation of actions and strategies to reduce the impact on the population of air pollution as there are control measures in the emission sources such as:
Systems, wet collectors, cyclones, filters.
in the same way reducing dependence on fossil fuel greatly reduces combustion gases by creating the development of Alternative energies.
if a person is obliged to reside in a large metropolis in my personal opinion it should be evaluated if it could economically live to a more clear place where it is possible that it earns less salary but saves dindero in expenses of medicines and treatments for Respiratory diseases.
My recommendation is that we often visit places where pure air reigns, remember that God gives us those spaces to strengthen our spirit and our health... When you're there, take a deep breath many times and enjoy it. Because we do not know if in the future we will pay to breathe fresh air as we pay for the water and food..
The pure air is the only gift of nature that we can still enjoy free
! Take advantage!
Your mind, your body and spirit will thank you!!
I leave the web route of my article published in a scientific journal
200.35.84.134/ojs-2.4.2/index.php/rtcu/article/download/358/pdf
http://www.scielo.org.ve/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0798-40652007000100008
http://tesis.luz.edu.ve/tde_arquivos/80/TDE-2014-06-11T16:17:03Z-4937/Publico/nava_gonzalez_eudo_jose.pdf