Studies of atmospheric pollution: Concentration of selected elements in the lower atmosphere using nuclear-related analytical techniques

The main objective of this research is to study the elemental composition (mainly sulphur and heavy metals) of the lower atmosphere of San Lorenzo. This is a university city located at about 10 km from Asuncion. We will use X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques to make a multielemental analysis of the components in air samples taken in San Lorenzo. Then, we will compare these results with samples we take from a rural community. We have selected San Lorenzo because it is a town with a relatively large population and also has a relatively high industrial activity. At the Municipality of San Lorenzo, there a growing interest in the monitoring and control of airborne pollution arising from industrial processes and transportation effects. Two rural stations were selected; one, in the Oriental Region ''Jhere Company'' that is located 200 km from Asuncion and far from urban centres, and the other, at the western Region, Chaco, which has characteristics different from the first one and it is about 400 km from Asuncion. The objective of this research is to get results to establish a baseline for comparison. We intend to get: a) Preliminary information from rural stations that could give us the baseline. b) Information about the situation of airborne pollution in San Lorenzo city. (author). 3 refs, 4 figs, 5 tabs