IANIGLA   20881
INSTITUTO ARGENTINO DE NIVOLOGIA, GLACIOLOGIA Y CIENCIAS AMBIENTALES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Spatial variability of atmospheric pbdes levels in Mendoza city, Argentina: a dispersion modelling approach
Autor/es:
DAVID G. ALLENDE; NERINA B. LANA; S. ENRIQUE PULIAFITO; MARIA F. RUGGERI; JORGELINA C. ALTAMIRANO
Lugar:
York
Reunión:
Congreso; 8TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON FLAME RETARDANTS -BFR 2017; 2017
Resumen:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been worldwide used in polymers ofelectrical appliances as flame retardants. They are released to the environment along production, recycling, usage and final disposal of goods. These compounds tend to persist and accumulate in the environment, and once they enter the organisms, several toxic effects may be caused. To determine analytically the levels of these substances in the atmosphere, one of the most common and currently used method is passive sampling. The application of this technique considers that atmospheric concentrations are generally low, so that large amounts of sample are needed to quantify them. As a result, low temporal resolution of measurements is obtained, in the order of months.In addition to the sampling, the concentration of PBDEs in air can be estimated using dispersion models, which are presented as an option to obtain a spatial and temporal overview with greater coverage. Moreover, some correlations between the anthropic activities that produce the emissions and the pollutant levels in the environment can be established, as well as the expected levels in association with different scenarios.In this context, the aim of this study is to present an atmospheric dispersion model with high spatiotemporal resolution of PBDEs in the Great Mendoza (Figure 1), a typical area of Latin America with a mid-size urbanized center surrounded by agricultural sectors in a complex terrain. Based on a high resolution emissions inventory of PBDEs for the study area, a simulation of the atmospheric dispersion was performed using the WRF/CALMET/CALPUFF modeling system, which is particularly suitable for estimating atmospheric concentrations in complex environments. The data was organized under a domain of 90x90 km2 centered on the North Oasis of Mendoza, grouping emissions into cells of 1 km×1 km. The generated dispersion maps capture the concentration gradients, being possible its application in the evaluation of human exposure and in the design of monitoring networks. To evaluate the performance of the model, the data were compared with measurements obtained by passive sampling.