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Air Contaminant Statistical Distributions with Application to PM10 in Santiago, Chile

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Book cover Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 223

Part of the book series: Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology ((RECT,volume 223))

Abstract

Breathable air is a gas mixture made up of 78 % nitrogen, 21 % oxygen, and 1 % carbon dioxide and other gases such as argon, radon, and xenon (Pani 2007). Atmospheric contamination is the presence in the air of substances that change its chemical and physical characteristics. Air pollution derives primarily from fossil fuel combustion products that are emitted into the air. In some areas, the effects of air pollution are exacerbated when climatological and geographical factors restrict its dissipation. Over the past decades, the air quality of many urban centers has seriously deteriorated. As a result, millions of people are exposed to pollution levels above the recommended limits by the World Health Organization (WHO), such as indicated by the United Nations Environment Programme. Air pollution is currently a concern in the American region, wherein several capital cities have levels that exceed national and international guideline limits. Such is the case for Santiago, the capital city of Chile, which is among the cities with higher air pollution levels in the world (Ostro 2003). The location of Santiago and the weather it experiences, when combined with high anthropological emissions, create critical air pollution conditions. The interaction of air pollution and heat can impair the health and well-being of people, particularly the elderly and children (Kinney 2008).

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the editor, Dr. David M. Whitacre, and the referees for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this chapter, which resulted in the current version. C. Marchant gratefully acknowledges support from the scholarship “President of the Republic” of the Chilean government of which she was a recipient during her studies in engineering in statistics in the University of Valparaiso which concluded with this work. The research of V. Leiva was partially supported by FONDECYT 1120879 grant from the Chilean government. The research of A. Sanhueza was partially supported by FONDECYT 1080409.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Estadística, Universidad de Valparaíso, Gran Bretaña 1111, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile

    Carolina Marchant & Víctor Leiva

  2. Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile

    M. Fernanda Cavieres

  3. Departamento de Matemática y Estadística, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

    Antonio Sanhueza

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  1. Carolina Marchant
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  2. Víctor Leiva
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Correspondence to Víctor Leiva .

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    David M. Whitacre

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Marchant, C., Leiva, V., Cavieres, M.F., Sanhueza, A. (2013). Air Contaminant Statistical Distributions with Application to PM10 in Santiago, Chile. In: Whitacre, D. (eds) Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 223. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol 223. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5577-6_1

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