Evolution of the content of total suspended particulates and of the metals, lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, iron and manganese, in the atmospheric aerosol from Cartagena, for the period 1995--2000

The analysis of the atmospheric aerosol is one of the basic fields in the environmental researches, mainly because of its effects on human health and its role on the climatic change. In this work we have focussed on the study of suspended particulate matter and metals lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, iron and manganese in the atmospheric aerosol from Cartagena, in the period of time from January 1995 to December 2000. As a part of aersol, heavy metals are having an increasing concern due to a better understanding about their toxicological significance on the ecosystems, agriculture and human health. Metals lead and cadmium are recognized as toxic by World Health Organization, and together with suspended particulate matter are subjected to legislation.; Because of its geographical characteristics, Cartagena city has an important mining and industrial history which has affected greatly on its environment. The study of its aerosol is very important to be able to assess the evolution of it along the time, its situation respect to the current legislation and its possible repercusions on people health. Besides, it allows us to analyse the local anthropogenic source impacts, the spatial distribution and the possible existence of seasonal patterns of different variables along the studied period, and the influence of meteorological factors.; 3960 samples have been analysed, these belong to three sampling points from Cartagena city and they have been collected from 1995 to 2000, using two kinds of supports, fiberglass and cellulose ester filters. With the first ones we have determinated the gravimetric quantification of the total suspended particulate matter and lead. On the second ones we have quantified the metals lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, iron and manganese. Except for iron and manganese, which were not determinated in the previous years to this study, the values obtained for all the other variables have been compared with those get in 2560 samples collected from 1990 to 1994, with the purpose of evaluating the actual behaviour of the aerosol in a longer period of time. The sampling points belong to Plaza de Bastarreche (an urban area with heavy road traffic), Lo Campano (near the harbour and the ancient lead smelting), and La Pista Polideportiva (an urban area with scarce road traffic).; For all data as a whole, we can observe that total suspended particulate matter suffers interannual variations, without great differences between the beginning and the end of the studied period. Lead presents an important progressive drop along the period, with a decrease up to 91% from 1991 to 2000. For zinc, cadmium and copper the drop is much smaller without general significative differences between the average values of these ten years, but we can find a significative difference between 1991 and 2000, being the decrease of these metals about 50% for zinc, 54% for cadmium and 46% for copper. From 1995 to 2000; iron presents a statistically significative fall which represents a decrease up to 20%, meanwhile, manganese has quite similar values without significative differences between them.; When we study the temporal evolution of the variables in each samplind point, we find an strong spatial and temporal variability. Depending on the kind of pollutant and the period of the study, Bastarreche and Lo Campano are the sites with a bigger concentration, against La Pista Polideportiva that has smaller average concentrations among the considered sampling points. The seasonal analysis of all measurement data as a whole as well as in terms of annual averages, and also of annual average for each sampling point, let us conclude that there is not a pattern of seasonal behaviour, what allows us to state how important the considered period and the chosen location are. It is observed a positive correlation between the weight of total suspended particulate matter and lead concentration, and also between concentrations of all studied metals, which is related to a...