Abstract

CORTES, José L. et al. Spatial distribution of heavy metals in urban dust from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Rev. Chapingo ser. cienc. for. ambient [online]. 2017, vol.23, n.1, pp.47-60. ISSN 2007-4018.  https://doi.org/10.5154/r.rchscfa.2016.02.005.

In Ensenada Baja California, ships and vehicles produce particles with heavy metals. These particles are blown by the wind and deposited on the soil becoming urban dust. Heavy metals may affect the health of the population, so a quick diagnosis is required to find a solution to this problem. The aim of this study is to identify those areas of higher pollution within the city. A total of 86 urban dust samples were sampled on diferent substrates (soil, cement and asphalt). Heavy metals were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence. Differences among substrates were identified by analysis of variance. The analysis of ordinary Kriging interpolation was performed to estimate the spatial distribution of heavy metals. Asphalt contains higher concentration of Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn; cement contains higher concentrations of Cu and V; and soil contains higher concentrations of Rb. The map which includes the classes with higher concentration of heavy metals shows that the southwest area of the city is the most polluted area due to port and transpeninsular highway.

Keywords : Ordinary kriging; geostatistics; lead; vanadium; spatial analysis..

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