Retrospective health impact assessment for ozone pollution in Mexico City from 1991 to 2011

AbstractAir pollution is the main environmental issue in Mexico City, where ozone is one of the most damaging pollutants for human health. In this work we present a retrospective health impact assessment (HIA) study split up by age groups for evaluating the benefits of ozone regulatory strategies from 1991 to 2011 in Mexico City. Since people move from one place to another during the day, which may affect their potential exposure to pollutants, we consider time-dependant spatial population distributions during the day. Ozone data is made up of observations taken with hourly frequency from January 1, 1991 to December 31, 2011, at approximately 22 stations of the monitoring network of Mexico City. Interpolated values for unknown locations are also taken into account in the HIA. The Cressman objective analysis method is applied for interpolating the observed ozone concentrations from monitoring stations to grids of convenient resolution. We demonstrate that different age groups present different spatial patterns of exposure, being the working-age people (between 18 and 64 years) the most benefited. We also confirm the hypothesis that, in general, people move to less polluted regions during the day

Interpolación espacial de concentraciones de ozono en la zona metropolitana del Valle de México, basada en métodos de Kriging y Cokriging

Ponencia presentada en: VIII Congreso de la Asociación Española de Climatología celebrado en Salamanca entre el 25 y el 28 de septiembre de 2012.[ES]La contaminación atmosférica es el principal problema ambiental que enfrenta la Ciudad de México, donde el ozono, particularmente, es uno de los contaminantes de mayor impacto para la salud humana. En el presente trabajo se evalúan tres procedimientos de interpolación espacial para estimar la concentración de ozono en la tropósfera de la Ciudad de México, en localizaciones donde esta no es medida, a partir de datos provenientes de estaciones de monitoreo. Los procedimientos evaluados son el kriging, el cokriging y el cokriging colocado. Como variables secundarias para los métodos basados en cokriging, se consideran las concentraciones de dióxido de nitrógeno (NO2), la temperatura y la humedad relativa. La relación entre las variables secundarias y el ozono se analiza previamente a partir de un método estadístico de partición recursiva con estructura de árbol. Los tres procedimientos se comparan mediante validación cruzada, considerando datos del año 2010.[EN]Air pollution is the main environmentl issue in Mexico City, where ozone is one of the most damaging pollutant for human health. In this work they are compared three spatial interpolation procedures to estimate the tropospheric ozone concentration for non-observed locations in Mexico City, considering data obtained in monitoring stations. The compared procedures are kriging, cokriging and collocated cokriging. Nitrogen dioxid (NO2) concentration, temperature and relative humidity are considered as secondary variables for the cokriging methods. The relationship among the secondary variables and ozone is previously analyzed with a tree based recursive partitioning statistical method. The interpolation procedures are compared by cross-validation, using data for the year 2010

Sea Port SO2 atmospheric emissions influence on air quality and exposure at Veracruz, Mexico

In this work, we identify the current atmospheric sulfur dioxide emissions of the Veracruz port, an important Mexican seaport experiencing rapid growth, and its influence on the surrounding areas. Sulfur dioxide emissions based on port activity, as well as meteorology and air quality simulations, are used to assess the impact. It was found that using marine fuel with low sulfur content reduces emissions by 88%. Atmospheric emission estimates based on the bottom-up methodology range from 3 to 7 Mg/year and can negatively impact air quality up to 3 km downwind. After evaluating different characteristics of vessels in CALPUFF, it was found that maximum sulfur dioxide concentrations ranging between 50 and 88 µg/m3 for a 24-h average occurred 500 m from the port. During 2019, five days had unsatisfactory air quality. The combination of a shallow planetary boundary layer, low wind speed, and large atmospheric emissions significantly degraded local air quality.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

INFLUENCIA DE LA METEOROLOGÍA EN LA CALIDAD DEL AIRE EN LA ZONA METROPOLITANA DEL VALLE DE MÉXICO

Se presenta el impacto en la calidad del aire de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México debido a la meteorología y a las emisiones: industriales, del volcán Popocatépetl y de las ciudades vecinas esto se evalúa mediante el empleo de un modelo numérico de la calidad del aire. Se mencionan los diferentes patrones meteorológicos y el transporte de contaminantes que son relevantes en la región. Se concluye que las medidas de control de contaminantes deben considerar un enfoque regional

Influencia de la meteorología en la calidad del aire en la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México

Air quality impact assessment in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City is presented  due to weather and emissions from: industry, the Popocatépetl and nearby cities, it is evaluated by using a numerical model of air quality . It is presented different weather patterns and transport of contaminants that are relevant to the region. It concludes that measures to control pollutants should consider a regional approach.Se presenta el impacto en la calidad del aire de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México debido a la meteorología y a las emisiones: industriales, del volcán Popocatépetl y de las ciudades vecinas esto se evalúa mediante el empleo de un modelo numérico de la calidad del aire. Se mencionan los diferentes patrones meteorológicos y el transporte de contaminantes que son relevantes en la región. Se concluye que las medidas de control de contaminantes deben considerar un enfoque regional

The influence of the Tula, Hidalgo complex on the air quality of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

AbstractUsing an air quality model, this study shows how emissions from the “Miguel Hidalgo” refinery of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and the thermoelectric plant “Francisco Pérez Ríos” of the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE, Federal Electricity Commission) in Tula, Hidalgo influence the atmosphere of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The model couples meteorology and chemistry. The weather scenario encompasses the period from October 20-28, 2005. Two scenarios are compared: the first assumes a 40% reduction in emissions of NOx, SO2, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the Tula complex (reduction scenario), and the second considers the scenario without reduction (baseline scenario). The model is compared with measurements of the Red Automática de Monitoreo Atmosférico (Automatic Environmental Monitoring Network). We observe that under certain weather conditions, the energy sector of Tula, Hidalgo affects the air quality in the MCMA. The reduction scenario is effective in reducing SO2 concentrations; however, despite a 40% decrease in the emissions of ozone precursors, their concentrations in the MCMA did not decrease

Dispersion of atmospheric coarse particulate matter in the San Luis Potosí, Mexico, urban area

"La contaminación atmosférica en áreas urbanas de México se ha convertido en un problema grave. Por ello, el estudio de la evolución espacial y temporal de las concentraciones del material particulado es un asunto importante. En el periodo de mayo de 2003 a abril de 2004 se recolectó un total de 188 muestras diarias con un equipo de alto volumen en el área urbana de San Luis Potosí, ubicada en la parte centro-norte de México, usando filtros de fibra de cuarzo. Se realizó una serie de experimentos de modelación numérica en el mismo periodo que las mediciones, para investigar las concentraciones de material particulado (PM) en dicha área urbana. Aunque hay una considerable variabilidad anual en la circulación atmosférica, el análisis de los resultados indica patrones de circulación estacionales preferenciales: vientos del suroeste en invierno y vientos del sureste en verano. Los altos valores de concentración de material particulado estuvieron estrechamente vinculados con características locales de la circulación atmosférica. El transporte neto de la zona industrial es una de las más importantes conclusiones de la investigación.""Atmospheric pollution in urban areas of Mexico has become a serious problem. The study of spatio-temporal evolution of concentrations of particulate matter is an important issue. A total of 188 samples were randomly collected at 24-hour running time within the period from May 2003 to April 2004 for the San Luis Potosí urban area, located in the central-north part of Mexico, using quartz fiber filters. A series of numerical modeling experiments were conducted for the same period of measurements to investigate particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the above-mentioned urban area. Although there is a considerable annual variability in the atmospheric circulation, the analysis of results indicates preferential seasonal circulation patterns: southwesterly winds during winter and southeasterly during summer. High concentration values of particulate matter were closely associated to local characteristics of the atmospheric circulation. A net transport from the industrial zone into the urban area is one of most important outcomes of the investigation.

Estimation of the Impact of Ozone on Four Economically Important Crops in the City Belt of Central Mexico

In this work, we report the economic impact of exposure to high ozone concentrations on four important crops in the area of influence of the Mexico City Megalopolis. Estimated yield losses were as follows: maize: 3%; oats: 26%; beans: 14%; sorghum: 15%. The information needed to estimate the impact of air pollution in Mexico is decidedly deficient. Regarding ozone, the coverage provided by the monitoring networks is strongly focused on urban monitoring and its consistency over time is highly irregular. Apart from the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) and less than a handful of other cities, the quality of the data is poor. Ozone in rural areas can be estimated with air quality models. However, these models depend on a high-resolution emissions inventory, which has only been done through validation processes in the MCMA. With these limitations, we set out to estimate the economic impact of exposure to ozone in these crops with a varying degree of sensitivity to ozone in the city belt of Central Mexico. To this end, we developed a procedure that makes optimal use of the sparse information available for construction of AOT40 (accumulated exposure over the threshold of 40 ppb) exceedance maps for the 2011 growing season. We believe that, due to the way in which we dealt with the sparse information and the uncertainty regarding the available data, our findings lie on the safe side of having little knowledge such that they may be useful to decision-makers. We believe that this procedure can be extended to the rest of the country, and that it may be useful to developing countries with similar monitoring and modeling capacities. In addition, these impacts are not evenly distributed in the region and sometimes they were greater in municipalities that have a higher index of poverty. Air pollution arriving from urban areas increases the social inequalities to which these already vulnerable populations are exposed

Increasing Weekend Effect in Ground-Level O3 in Metropolitan Areas of Mexico during 1988–2016

Here, we present an assessment of long-term trends in the O3 weekend effect (WE) occurrences and spread within the Mexico City (MCMA), Guadalajara (GMA), and Monterrey (MMA) metropolitan areas, which are the three largest metropolitan areas (MAs) of Mexico and concentrate around 33% of the total population in the country. Daytime averages and peak differences in O3 concentrations from weekdays to weekends were used as a proxy of WE occurrence. All MAs exhibited the occurrence of WE in all years at least in one monitoring site. Substantial differences in O3 daytime averages and peaks from weekdays to weekends have decreased over time in all MAs, and since 1998 and 2013 for the MCMA and GMA, respectively, higher O3 levels during weekends are typical during most of the year. The largest variations in the O3 WE were observed at downwind and urban core sites of the MCMA and GMA. Significant increasing trends (p < 0.05) in the O3 WE magnitude were observed for Sundays at all sites within the MCMA, with trends in annual averages ranging between 0.33 and 1.29 ppb O3 yr−1. Within the GMA, for Sundays, fewer sites exhibited increasing trends in the WE occurrence and at lower growth rates (0.32 and 0.48 ppb yr−1, p < 0.1) than within the MCMA, while within the MMA no apparent trends were observed in marked contrast with the MCMA and GMA. Our findings suggest that policies implemented have been successful in controlling weekday ground-level O3 within the MCMA and GMA, but further actions must be introduced to control the increases in the O3 WE magnitude and spread