Published
Urban air pollution in school-related microenvironments in Bogota, Colombia
Caracterización de la calidad del aire en microambientes de colegios distritales en Bogotá
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/ing.investig.v33n2.39516Keywords:
Traffic-related air pollution, air quality, children’s exposure, urban sustainability (en)Calidad del aire, tráfico vehicular, exposición a la contaminación atmosférica, sostenibilidad urbana (es)
Particle-related pollution (PM10, PM2.5 and soot) was measured in both indoor and outdoor microenvironments at four public elementary schools in Bogotá, Colombia. Three of these schools were located alongside major urban roads in which different types of public transit systems are used (bus rapid transit system and conventional transit buses). The fourth school was located on a non-congested road (background school). Pollutant levels at schools situated on major-roads were higher than those found at the low-congestion-road school. Outdoor black carbon daily mean concentrations at the schools located near major roads were up to six times higher than those recorded at the background school. Mean particulate matter concentrations at schools near major roads were above international standards, suggesting that school-age children in Bogotá are exposed to pollution levels that are considered to be harmful by environmental and public health authorities. Elevated indoor and outdoor pollutant concentrations documented in this study suggested that traffic has a direct impact on air quality regarding the schools' characterised microenvironments.
Se caracterizaron los niveles de material particulado respirable (PM10), material particulado fino (PM2.5) y carbono elemental (BC) en microambientes intramurales y exteriores de cuatro colegios distritales en Bogotá. Tres de estos colegios estaban ubicados en inmediaciones de vías principales consideradas de alto tráfico vehicular, por las que circulan distintos tipos de transporte público (colectivo convencional y transporte público masivo). El colegio restante (utilizado como sitio control) se encontraba ubicado sobre una vía secundaria, no congestionada. En general, los niveles de contaminación encontrados en los microambientes de los colegios ubicados en vías con alto tráfico vehicular fueron significativamente mayores que aquellos reportados en el colegio control. Por ejemplo, las concentraciones de BC documentadas en microambientes exteriores de los colegios ubicados sobre vías principales fueron hasta seis veces mayores que aquellas encontradas en el colegio control. Las concentraciones promedio reportadas sugieren que los menores en edad escolar en Bogotá se encuentran expuestos a niveles de contaminación considerados como nocivos para la salud por las autoridades internacionales. Adicionalmente, la evidencia recolectada propone que en los colegios evaluados, el tráfico vehicular tiene un impacto importante en la calidad del aire al interior de los mismos.
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Copyright (c) 2013 Juan Felipe Franco, Néstor Yesid Rojas, Olga Lucía Sarmiento, Eduardo Behrentz
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