News© Institutional Communication, 09-21-09
A research project of the University of Navarra has analyzed atmospheric pollution in the Autonomous Community of Navarra
The study, carried out by the chemist Asun Villaro Parra, includes a traffic management plan that could reduce pollution by 28% in Pamplona
Chemist Asun Parra
Photo: Manuel Castells
Asun Villaro Parra, chemistry researcher at the University of Navarra, has conducted a study on Atmospheric Pollution in Navarra through the analysis of four different areas: the Ribera of Navarra, Pamplona, city buses and bars.
The study was developed in the Integrated Laboratory of Environmental Quality (LICA) and the Department of Chemistry and Soil Science, under the direction of Professor Jesús Miguel Santamaría, and was aimed at gaining more knowledge about the levels of pollution in Navarra. "More specifically," added Villaro Parra, “we wanted to know how much pollution is caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), since many of them have toxin and carcinogenic properties, causing important environmental problems such as increased ozone and global warming."
The research project, which was part of her doctoral dissertation, was divided into four phases. The first phase, in the Ribera zone of Navarra, lasted six months, during which they analyzed and interpreted the spatial and temporal distributions of concentrations of VOCs, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. "The results in this mainly agricultural area confirmed that traffic emissions, and to a lesser degree industrial complexes, were the main sources of pollution; this is information which should be taken into account for its possible influence on crops and their loss of productivity", explained the new PhD.
Contamination levels were twenty times higher in bars
The second part of the project was carried out in Pamplona, where the highest levels of pollutants - benzene, toluene and NO2 - were recorded on those streets with the highest levels of traffic. Asun Villaro Parra then used computer simulations on the streets to study the dispersion of the above mentioned substances in a small area, and then later in a larger area. The results from these experiments have served to explain how pollution accumulates in narrow streets. "It also allowed us to design new strategies for improving air quality based on the redirection of traffic to wider streets with less traffic. With this process the concentrations of pollution could be lowered by roughly 28%, and could be applied in larger areas of the city.
Regarding the quality of indoor air in areas such as bars and cafés, the research project of Asun Parra has revealed that the concentrations of pollutants in these areas is 20 times higher than outside. This higher concentration is caused by tobacco smoke, cleaning products, air fresheners, paint, and outdoor pollution. In the case of public buses, we found that the air was of lower quality in buses running on central routes during peak hours. However, passengers who have greater exposure are those who take longer routes and are therefore exposed to the poorer air quality longer, concluded Asun Villaro Parra, researcher of the University of Navarra.
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