Microbiological Analysis, Cytotoxic and Genotoxic Effects from Material Captured in PM2.5 and PM10 Filters Used in the Aburrá Valley Air Quality Monitoring Network (Colombia)

Year: 2016 Volume: 10 Issue: 8 492 - 500 Pages

• Authors:
• Carmen E. Zapata
• Juan Bautista
• Olga Montoya
• Claudia Moreno
• Marisol Suarez
• Alejandra Betancur
• Duvan Nanclares
• Natalia A. Cano

Abstract: This study aims to evaluate the diversity of microorganisms in filters PM2.5 and PM10; and determine the genotoxic and cytotoxic activity of the complex mixture present in PM2.5 filters used in the Aburrá Valley Air Quality Monitoring Network (Colombia). The research results indicate that particulate matter PM2.5 of different monitoring stations are bacteria; however, this study of detection of bacteria and their phylogenetic relationship is not complete evidence to connect the microorganisms with pathogenic or degrading activities of compounds present in the air. Additionally, it was demonstrated the damage induced by the particulate material in the cell membrane, lysosomal and endosomal membrane and in the mitochondrial metabolism; this damage was independent of the PM2.5 concentrations in almost all the cases.

• Keywords:
• Cytotoxic
• genotoxic
• microbiological analysis
• PM10
• PM2.5.

Relocation of the Air Quality Monitoring Stations Network for Aburrá Valley Based on Local Climatic Zones

Year: 2016 Volume: 10 Issue: 8 842 - 847 Pages

• Authors:
• Carmen E. Zapata
• José F. Jiménez
• Mauricio Ramiréz
• Natalia A. Cano

Abstract: The majority of the urban areas in Latin America face the challenges associated with city planning and development problems, attributed to human, technical, and economical factors; therefore, we cannot ignore the issues related to climate change because the city modifies the natural landscape in a significant way transforming the radiation balance and heat content in the urbanized areas. These modifications provoke changes in the temperature distribution known as “the heat island effect”. According to this phenomenon, we have the need to conceive the urban planning based on climatological patterns that will assure its sustainable functioning, including the particularities of the climate variability. In the present study, it is identified the Local Climate Zones (LCZ) in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley (Colombia) with the objective of relocate the air quality monitoring stations as a partial solution to the problem of how to measure representative air quality levels in a city for a local scale, but with instruments that measure in the microscale.

• Keywords:
• Air quality
• monitoring
• local climatic zones
• valley
• monitoring stations.