Ultrafine particle dispersion in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Mexico

Abstract

Objectives: Dust, soil and leaf samples of Ficus benjamina were collected in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara (GMA) (Peña-García et al., 2017), allowing to identify the type of metallic particles, size, shape and spatial distribution. With the results obtained, the possible effects of metallic particles on human and plant health were discussed (Peña-García et al., 2019). Methodology: The sampling was in six municipalities of the GMA; Atomic absorption spectrophotometry analyses were carried out on leaves, which identified the presence of various elements that mostly exceeded the reference values. Through X-ray fluorescence, 23 elements were identified in soil, including Th and Ac in at least 14 sites. Using the scanning electron microscopy technique and elemental mapping analysis, coarse, fine and ultrafine metallic particles were identified in human bronchus and lung tissue, as well as fragments of cement, plastic, yeast and bacteria. The similarity between the metallic particles in the collected samples and those observed in lung tissue, warns of latent risks to the health of the GMA population. Contribution: The results obtained with the methodology used in this work allow us to glimpse the polluting potential in urban areas.