Determinación de la concentración de cadmio contenido en material particulado menor a 10 micras en el municipio de Nobsa – Boyacá

The municipality of Nobsa is located in the Sogamoso Valley, one of the areas with the greatest industrial activity in Colombia due to the presence of various kilns for the production of lime, brick dust and cement factories. Atmospheric emissions that include pollutants such as sulfates, nitrates and heavy metals are among the most significant environmental aspects of this type of industry. Taking the above into account, monitoring of particulate material of less than 10 micrograms (PM₁₀₎ was carried out, determining the concentrations of cadmium (Cd) present in it. This monitoring was carried out in the municipality of Nobsa (Boyacá) during 34 days at the Fire Station sampling point and during 36 days at Las Caleras sampling point. The concentration of the pollutants was determined from the gravimetric method for PM₁₀ and the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method-graphite furnace for Cd. With the data obtained, a dispersion model and a geospatial model were executed through the Screen View Software 4.0 and Arcgis 10.5, which showed a high concentration of PM₁₀ with low traces of Cd. The results show a significant relationship between respiratory diseases (ER) and residence of more than one year in the municipality, which suggests a chronic effect on the population.