Lead analysis in the air in the urban area of Cuenca

Lead is considered one of the most dangerous health pollutants, remains suspended in the air in the form of solid particles for long periods of time before depositing on the ground or any other surface, including agricultural crops. There are currently no available data on lead analysis in the air in the urban area of Cuenca; So this project aims to carry out this study. To achieve this objective, an air sampling will be carried out in critical areas with the appropriate equipment for this type of sample. Each filter from the sampling equipment will subsequently be treated in the laboratory and analyzed by the instrumental technique of atomic absorption spectrophotometry. At the same time, a gasoline sampling will also be carried out in different vending pumps within the city and these samples will also be analyzed by atomic absorption to determine the amount of lead in gasoline. The time considered for this study is 10 months, the analytical techniques to be used will be those approved and recommended by both the NIOSH and the ASTM. The analytical results obtained will be processed and analyzed to determine if the lead concentrations in the air are at levels that may be considered dangerous to health; And in gasoline to determine if they are above the maximum admissible levels, established by the INEN. The present study will allow us to make a preliminary diagnosis, since a systematic and prolonged sampling exceeds the economic limits of the project.

III UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT COMPETITION