Air quality in Chihuahua

What is the current level of air pollution in Chihuahua?

The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of the same name. The main activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, and consumer goods production. According to a census conducted in 2017, it was seen that the estimated population was approximately 880,000 residents in the city and when the metropolitan area was taken into consideration, the number swelled to over 1 million.

At the beginning of 2022, Chihuahua was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 64. This United States Air Quality Index number is calculated using the levels of six of the most prolific air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. It can then be used as the metric when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. If data is unavailable for all 6 pollutants, a figure can still be calculated by using what figures there are. In the case of Chihuahua, the only pollutant measured was PM2.5 with a reading of 18.1 µg/m³. This level of PM2.5 is just over one and a half times over the recommended safe level of 10 µg/m³ as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as being an acceptable level. Although no amount of air pollution is considered to be safe.

With a level such as this, the advice would be to close doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air into the rooms and those of a sensitive disposition should avoid venturing outside until the air quality improves. If this is unavoidable, then a good quality face mask should be worn at all times. There is a downloadable app from AirVisual.com which is suitable for all operating systems and gives the latest information regarding air quality in real-time.

Does the level of air pollution change much throughout the year in Chihuahua?

Air quality can be very variable as it is affected by many external influences. The figures for 2020, published by IQAir .com reveal that the months of March and April achieved the WHO target figure of being less than 10 µg/m³. March attained the best figure of 7.9 µg/m³. Air quality from the “Good” category was attained in February, May, and from July until the end of September. To be classified as such, the figures need to be between 10.1 and 12.0 µg/m³. The remaining five months of the year saw air quality from the “Moderate” classification with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. Overall, the month with the dirtiest air was December with a reading of 21.7 µg/m³.

There were no records kept relating to air pollution before 2020 when a figure of 13.3 µg/m³ was recorded. This low figure was to be expected because it may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as many vehicles were no longer in daily use because the offices were closed, in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. Many factories and non-essential production units were also required to close which removed their emissions from the atmosphere, albeit on a temporary basis. Worldwide, cities reported a much better quality of air due to the general lack of traffic pollution in city centres due to the pandemic.

Where does all the polluted air come from in Chihuahua?

The director of Chihuahua Tiempo Severo, warned about the poor air quality in the city of Chihuahua, due to the generation of pollutants and smoke that comes from the forest fires that hit the west coast of the United States, causing skies to be murky and polluted over the states of the border strip.

In Chihuahua the main pollutants were combustion by vehicular transport, particulate matter from the raising of fine dust (such as PM10), anthropogenic activities such as the use of brick kilns, and the fires in uncontrolled grassland, cause an increase in the generation of particles that sometimes reached a significant value of 200 microns per cubic meter.

In the state of Chihuahua, the vehicle registry has increased fivefold in the last four decades, from 272,399 registered vehicles in 1980 to over 1.6 million vehicles until the most recent INEGI census in the entity. Many of these vehicles are old and therefore do not have the latest technology and filters which partially clean the emissions.

The situation is often worse in October as the temperature change begins, temperatures start to decrease and together with the meteorological conditions cause the stagnation of pollutants, then the phenomenon of thermal inversion causes a condition of atmospheric stability, where the dilution of pollutants does not take place. in the usual way.

Can anything be done to improve air quality in Chihuahua?

ProAires are management instruments that establish actions to prevent and reverse the trends of deterioration in air quality.

A large proportion of the polluting emissions come from transport, which is why vehicle management programs must be updated and measures such as Hoy No Circula should be strengthened.

More investment in sustainable mobility must be encouraged to promote projects in favour of pedestrians and cyclists, as well as zero-emission public transport.

The control of emissions from natural sources, through the prevention and fighting of fires, the recovery of eroded areas and the restoration of areas with environmental benefits, including forest, protected and urban green areas, as well as the management of emissions evaporatives in fuel handling systems in the megalopolis.

What are the detrimental effects of breathing in polluted air?

The effects of air pollution on health are determined by the duration of exposure, the concentrations of pollutants as well as the state of health of the exposed persons.

Not all groups of people are at the same level of risk due to polluted air. The following groups are more susceptible than strong healthy adults.

• children (because their respiratory system is still immature);
• the elderly (because they are more likely to suffer from health problems such as lung or heart disease);
• people with respiratory problems (asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD, emphysema, etc.);
• people suffering or having suffered from cardiovascular problems (angina, myocardial infarction);
• people with heart failure, arrhythmia or other heart conditions;
• people with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus;
• people practicing outdoor sports;
• people who work outdoors on a regular basis (especially if contaminant levels are high at a specific time or in their living environment (near sources of pollutants, such as road traffic, industrial areas, etc.).

The main symptoms that are often associated with short-term exposure are irritation of the respiratory tract. The worsening of symptoms in people with cardiorespiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis or emphysema. Wheezing is more prevalent as is a sensation of tightness of the chest. Affected people often find it difficult to breathe normally and often experience pain at the same time. Death can occur prematurely, especially for people with pre-existing cardiorespiratory problems.