Is it possible to decontaminate Santiago? The x-ray of the worrying situation in the capital

Santiago’s pollution rate, which itself usually has high numbers, skyrocketed the previous week, when he smoke nearby wildfires have arrived like a silent intruder into Metro Area homes.

With the high temperatures, Many people had to choose between suffocating from the heat or the unpleasant smell of smoke. However, Even when there are no active fires, Santiago residents breathe pollutants daily potentially toxic and fatal.

And it’s not just fires that pollute the air. The burning of fossil fuels, which allow populations to develop and live, kills 5.1 million people per year, according to a recent study published in The British Medical Journal .

Chile being the second most polluted country in Latin America, according to the ranking established by the company IQAir — Many wonder if this situation will ever improve or if they are doomed to breathing living air that could make them sick.

Is it possible to decontaminate Santiago? This is the opinion of an expert.

Luis Alonso Diaz doctor in environmental engineering from the University of Santiago de Chile (USACH), begins to explain to The third What In Santiago, “we have failed to meet the standard annual limit on pollution levels. “We continue to be a saturated area of ​​particles and gases.”

By compiling a register of the main pollutants in the capital, the expert highlights the following:

• Parking.
• Engines without catalysts (like “mosquito bikes”).
• Industrial sources.
• Residential heating contaminants. (Firewood, pellets, paraffin).
• Volatile organic compounds. These are present in the air and can be of natural origin or come from products of daily use at home, in the street or at work, such as the combustion of wood or the use of solvents, paints, glues , gasoline in cars, etc.

The expert assures that, according to the inventory of the emission zone, Residential sources generate more than a third of the RM’s pollution. “It’s just thinking about what comes out of the tailpipe or the chimney.”

He also points out that in spring and summer, pollution increases in the atmosphere, due to photochemical reactions with volatile organic compounds present in the air.

The decontamination of Santiago began at least 30 years ago and, as Díaz recalls, there were a series of stages to evaluate even if it is not fully realized.

“Several reductions have been made in relevant sources, such as automotive and industrial sources. The fuel has been replaced with cleaner fuel, sulfur has been removed from diesel used in the past. » assures the expert LT.

Indeed, vehicles running on diesel now generally have a catalyst which reduces harmful elements emitted by the exhaust system.

Also “Large investments have been made in ENAP to be able to have high quality fuel and reduce pollution levels. “It was an important step in Santiago, which then spread to the rest of the country. » .

Another important moment in the fight against pollution in the capital was the removal of old microphones from the 80s and early 90s, which used poor quality engines and ran on high sulfur fuels.

Regulations have become restrictive and “Today we have a much cleaner public transport network, although there are still very polluting buses. But the arrival of electric vehicles has been a great success. And also the metro lines which are being expanded. » .

Although previous measures have helped decontaminate the city, Díaz believes that Not enough has been done to raise awareness and resolve the pollution coming from the homes of every resident of Santiago.

“The plan to combat air pollution should be more robust to reduce or limit residential heating emissions, thinking about clean technologies, electrical systems using renewable energies but at a reasonable price” suggests the environmental engineering specialist.

For example, recently the headquarters of the Villa Las Araucarias neighborhood council, in the Biobío region, organized an activity entitled “Energy efficiency in housing and district heating” to raise awareness among residents about a system project that produces energy. heat, cold or electricity which can be distributed to different houses through pipes.

These types of alternatives could encourage residents of Santiago and the rest of Chile to choose to get rid of polluting heating and be able to breathe better quality air.

In this linethe expert also adds that there should be greater supervision in municipalities where we continue to use firewood, oil or pellets.

Díaz, who is also a professor in the chemical civil engineering program at USACH, remembers the day when It has been proposed to dynamite the hills surrounding the city, as a solution to Santiago’s pollution.

“I remember it being very controversial,” he says. The third.

It was the decade of the 50s and, After seeing the success of the city of Lanzhou in China, where it reduced the relief of the hills and was able to better aerate the territory, he decided to attempt such a feat. in the Metropolitan Region.

“Thinking about eliminating hills is an absurd idea. When there are polluting episodes, the geography of the urban or industrial area and bad weather come together,” explains the expert.

That’s to say, Santiago is at a disadvantage due to geographical and meteorological factors, since it is a closed basin with poor ventilation and in autumn and winter cold air masses enter the capital and “compress the gas”, the thermal protection is therefore too short.

And although the solution of cutting the hills seems to be the right one in this situation, For Díaz, this would constitute an attack on the ecosystem and sustainable development. “Here we need to reduce emissions, because it makes no sense to eliminate geography and we can’t change meteorology either.”

The solutions are long term, so It is important to know the health risks of inhaling pollutants, such as smoke.

The doctor Christian Deza bronchopulmonary Clinic of the University of the Andes he says L.T. that first of all, When it comes to sporadic exposure, there may be an “irritant effect on the upper and lower respiratory tract”. and worsen the condition of patients with chronic diseases, such as asthma or chronic lung diseases.

“Children who live in environments rich in pollutants are at greater risk of developing asthma” assures the doctor.

Furthermore, symptoms of exposure to a pollutant — what many Santiago residents felt during critical episodes, such as the smoke observed last week — may be:

• Irritation of the upper respiratory tract.
• Redness of the eyes.
• Crying eyes.
• Runny nose.
• Throat irritation.
• Nose irritation.
• Cough.

Deza assures that The patients most exposed to contaminants are people aged over 65, chronically ill people and young children, particularly infants.

To avoid contaminants inside the house, living in a place with poor air quality, The ideal would be to opt for cleaner energy sources.

“Obviously, When we go through a worse economy, “It is not easy for a family to stop using firewood or kerosene and switch to an electric appliance.” says Díaz, the environmental engineer.

Replacing radiators can be a good idea that will have an impact not only on the house itself, but also on pollution in the city in general. But if that’s not possible, There are other measures that can be implemented. Here are Dr. Deza’s recommendations:

• If there is smoke in the environment, Close windows and doors to prevent it from entering the house.
• Close the car windows, if you notice that there is smoke on the road.
• On days of heavy pollution, Avoid doing physical activity outside, as you risk breathing in more pollutants than if you were at home.
• Wear a mask. If pollution levels are high, you can use N95 masks (ideally), as they can filter out some of the larger polluting particles. The smaller ones could be transferred anyway, but it would be at least reduced a little.
• Know the level of air pollution. There are some tools, such as the IQAir application called Airvisual (Android either iOS ) which, through different stations near you, indicates the level of pollution and the recommendations to be implemented here and abroad.