Trends and threshold exceedances analysis of airborne pollen concentrations in Metropolitan Santiago Chile
Author
dc.contributor.author
Toro Araya, Richard
Author
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Córdova J., Alicia
Author
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Canales, Mauricio
Author
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Morales Segura, Raúl
Author
dc.contributor.author
Mardones P., Pedro
Author
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Leiva Guzmán, Manuel
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2015-08-07T15:12:39Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2015-08-07T15:12:39Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2015
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
PLOS ONE May 6, 2015
en_US
Identifier
dc.identifier.issn
1932-6203
Identifier
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123077
Identifier
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https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/132492
General note
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Artículo de publicación ISI
en_US
Abstract
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Pollen is one of the primary causes of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in urban centers. In the
present study, the concentrations of 39 different pollens in the Santiago de Chile metropolitan
area over the period 2009–2013 are characterized. The pollen was monitored
daily using Burkard volumetric equipment. The contribution of each type of pollen and the
corresponding time trends are evaluated. The concentrations of the pollens are compared
with the established threshold levels for the protection of human health. The results
show that the total amount of pollen grains originating from trees, grasses, weeds and indeterminate
sources throughout the period of the study was 258,496 grains m-3, with an
annual average of 51,699 ± 3,906 grains m-3 year-1. The primary source of pollen is Platanus
orientalis, which produces 61.8% of the analyzed pollen. Grass pollen is the third
primary component of the analyzed pollen, with a contribution of 5.82%. Among the
weeds, the presence of Urticacea (3.74%) is remarkable. The pollination pattern of the
trees is monophasic, and the grasses have a biphasic pattern. The trends indicate that
the total pollen and tree pollen do not present a time trend that is statistically significant
throughout the period of the study, whereas the grass pollen and weed pollen concentrations
in the environment present a statistically significant decreasing trend. The cause
of this decrease is unclear. The pollen load has doubled over the past decade. When
the observed concentrations of the pollens were compared with the corresponding
threshold levels, the results indicated that over the period of the study, the pollen concentrations
were at moderate, high and very high levels for an average of 293 days per
year. Systematic counts of the pollen grains are an essential method for diagnosing and
treating patients with pollinosis and for developing forestation and urban planning
strategies.
en_US
Patrocinador
dc.description.sponsorship
Centro de Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile
Fundacion de Aerobiologia, Medio Ambiente y Salud