Abstract In early childhood, air pollution leads to an increased risk of disease, premature death, and development of disruptions. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is considered the classical pollutant of major concern. However, in Brazil, fine particulate monitoring is still limited and restricted to a few cities. Particularly, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, only one automatic station obtains PM2.5 concentrations and publishes the air quality indexes daily. This study is part of the project “Clean air for a good start” managed by the Horizon Citizen Foundation, with the goal of obtaining evidence to set a plan to reduce children exposition to air pollution. Data is shared on a global web platform. Results showed that PM2.5 levels are high when compared with WHO guidelines and coordinated actions would be needed to decrease emissions of primary pollutants and secondary aerosol’s precursors.

Resumen En la niñez, la contaminación del aire lleva a un aumento de las enfermedades, muerte prematura y problemas en el desarrollo. El material particulado fino (MP2,5) es considerado un contaminante clásico de mayor importancia. Sin embargo, en Brasil, el monitoreo de material particulado es limitado y restringido a pocas ciudades. En la ciudad de Rio de Janeiro, solamente una estación registra las concentraciones de MP2,5 y publica diariamente los índices de calidad del aire. Este estudio es parte del proyecto “Aires Nuevos para la Primera Infancia” coordenado por la Fundación Horizonte Ciudadano, con el objetivo de generar evidencias para proponer un plan para reducir la exposición de los niños a la contaminación del aire. Los datos son compartidos en una plataforma virtual. Los resultados muestran niveles de MP2,5 altos en comparación con las recomendaciones de la OMS y la necesidad de acciones coordenadas para disminuir las emisiones de contaminantes.

Resumo Na primeira infância, a poluição do ar leva a um aumento das doenças, mortes prematuras e perturbações no desenvolvimento. O material particulado fino (MP2,5) é considerado o poluente clássico de maior importância. No entanto, no Brasil, o monitoramento de material particulado fino é limitado e restrito a poucas cidades. Na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, apenas uma estação registra as concentrações de MP2,5 e divulga diariamente os índices de qualidade do ar. Este estudo é parte do projeto “Ares Novos para a Primeira Infância” coordenado pela Fundação Horizonte Cidadão, com o objetivo de obter evidências para estabelecer um plano para reduzir a exposição das crianças à poluição do ar. Os dados são compartilhados numa plataforma virtual global. Os resultados mostram níveis de MP2,5 altos quando comparados com as recomendações da OMS e a necessidade de ações coordenadas para reduzir as emissões de poluentes primários e de precursores de poluentes secundários.

On November 19, 2018, 30 years after establishment, the updated Brazilian National Air Quality Standards (NAQS) were published. These NAQS were formulated as a fundamental part and instrument of the National Program for the Control of Air Quality and considering, as a reference, the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines, published in 2005. An important contribution is the inclusion of PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm) as a criteria pollutant and a more restrictive target limit for PM10 (particles that have aerodynamic diameters less than or equal to 10 µm). In this work, the NAQS were discussed using, as a case study, data collected during the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The lack of PM2.5 data for Brazilian cities results in the calculation of a lower air quality index (AQI), leading to ostensibly good air quality. The results presented in this study clearly support the requirement of improvement of the new resolution since, in the present form, it does not meet the main goal of protecting public health.

Atmospheric processes in an urban scenario are very complex and depend on meteorological parameters, emission, transport and deposition processes and the chemical mechanism. Simple air quality models can be used to understand the main aspects of ozone formation and provide information to adopt pollution control strategies. In this work the detailed simulation of ozone concentrations using the air quality model OZIPR (Ozone Isopleth Package for Research) coupled with the SAPRC (Statewide Air Pollution Research Center) chemical model is presented. First, the methods to determine volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are described as well as the statistical treatment of experimental data: Meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction), concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO2 + NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3), which are needed to characterize the problem. Then, the construction and adjust of the model (base case) is detailed using, as an example, data for a typical urban area in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Finally, the limitations and the potential of the model are discussed. Clearly the quality of experimental data, mainly NOx and COVs concentrations and the COVs speciation, are a key information to obtain a correct estimation of O3 levels.