Influência das fontes fixas no material particulado da região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte e as diferenças na proporção de partículas finas

Abstract

Human-caused air pollution has become one of the greatest considerable risk factors for human health. The State Environmental Foundation (FEAM) monitors air quality through a network of automatic stations, however, its provision in the state of Minas Gerais is still deficient. Therefore, studies on the dispersion of atmospheric pollutants are essential to assess the impacts on air quality in a given region. This research aimed to evaluate the industrial contribution in the concentration of particulate matter (PM10) in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (MRBH), from the AERMOD mathematical model, and also to generate proportionality ratios of PM2.5/PM10 for different MRBH locations. The dispersion model used is based on the Gaussian curve and is recommended by the North American Environmental Protection Agency, and its preprocessors were used to calculate meteorological and topographical variables. For the study of fine particle proportionality, data from 12 FEAM air quality monitoring stations were accessed and, with the aid of the R programming language, linear regressions that numerically equivalent to the MP2.5/MP10 ratios were calculated. The station with the highest PM2.5/PM10 value was located close to the Amazonas Police Station in Belo Horizonte, and the lowest value was found at the Célvia station, in São José da Lapa, which also had the least influence from industrial sources, in Betim. This study demonstrated the complex methodology of operating an atmospheric dispersion model, and also provided insights into the poor coverage of air quality data in the state of Minas Gerais.