Evaluación de la contaminación y el riesgo por metales pesados generados por la industria cementera en Agua Caliente de Cartago.

Air pollution is one of the main problems in urban areas and human exposure to polluted air
generates negative effects over time on the health of the population. Airborne particulate matter
(PM) is one of the air pollutants and the finest are related to cardiopulmonary injury and systemic
diffusion. The source of this type of air pollutant is mainly related to industrial activities, the
manufacture of construction materials and emissions from road traffic. In the absence of industrial
activities, the main source of PM is vehicle emissions. Their presence in the air is not only important
for being the cause of different diseases in people, but also because they are excellent
accumulators and transporters of heavy metals (PMs), which come from different sources and move
over great distances through the air. air. PMs are bioaccumulative in food chains, are nonbiodegradable and represent a potential health hazard for animals, plants and humans. The
presence of MPs in the human body is associated with conditions of various kinds.
Cement factories use fossil fuels as a primary source of heating in their process; but also secondary
combustible liquid substances, and flammable solids such as plastics and tires, in order to reduce
the high energy cost. These fuels are important sources of organic and inorganic pollutants, PM
and a wide variety of PMs. This type of contamination is no stranger to our country and the residents
of Agua Caliente, close to the HOLCIM cement factory, have reported contamination problems for
more than a decade, in which the Ministry of Health has been involved. Despite this, the problems
persist both for the inhabitants of the area and for the small farmers located in the vicinity of the
factory.
The objective of this research is to measure PM contamination levels at different distances from the
Holcim factory using traditional chemical analysis methods, as well as low-cost proxy methods, such
as the measurement of magnetic properties in biomonitors. The use of plants, as well as urban dust
and surface soil, have proven to be a suitable medium for the collection and analysis of PMs from
the air. In this way, it will be possible to determine the levels of contamination by PMs, both in the
urban area and in agricultural activity. It will also allow us to determine the different levels of risk
that exist in relation to the distance to the factory. With these results, the Ministry of Health would
have pertinent information that allows it to work together with the cement company to find adequate
solutions that reduce this type of contamination that threatens human and plant health.

Evaluar la contaminación y el riesgo por metales pesados generados por la industria cementera ubicada en Agua Caliente de Cartago, utilizando métodos químicos y proxi retenidos en suelo y plantas

Contaminación atmosférica y mediciones magnéticas. Con relación a las líneas
de investigación aprobadas por la escuela, sería la de “evaluación y seguimiento
de contaminantes químicos y microbiológicos”.