The dust left by the rain of the weekend proved to be iron and silicon coming from the highlands
The day it rained
town beach The phenomenon covered sidewalks, patios, balconies and cars. Now, the researchers found that of iron and silicon from the soil erosion in northern Argentina and southern Bolivia. recommend not to breathe dust and clean up what's left of it. By Emilio Ruchansky
marks the terrine, red-brown by the iron in the city of Buenos compuesto.La Aires metropolitan area and much of the week began with the street, the terraces, courtyards and the hoods of cars filled with an unusual white powder, yellow, orange, brown, red and even pink, according to different versions. This kind of terrine appeared after several days of rain and was allocated a hurry, climate change and then, with enough fantasy to the rest of ash emanating from a volcano in Chile. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) city government took samples and sent them to analyze "to the numerous inquiries from residents of the city and to bring peace."
Laboratory results concluded that the dust is "inorganic material, with a preponderance of silicon in the form of silica, ferric iron and low sodium. "It is the aggregate of some soil material. The iron is what is the red earth, could come from the north. The issue is that there is silicon oxide, which is what forms the sandy beach. It is important to clarify that at no time to breathe this terrine appeared in the city. Indeed, it was conveyed by the rain, it was at the height of the air we breathe, which is not harmful to health, "said Graciela Arrechea, laboratory chief of the Agency.
If you breathe the dust, she added, "Is the same as breathing tiny particles of glass which are deposited in the lungs and that is absolutely harmful." Fortunately, he added, the constant cold, damp weather these days makes the dust cling to the ground and the wind fails to raise the air. In any case, you should sweep up and dispose of land or flushing environments where they have accumulated. "This has nothing to do with phenomena such as smoke biochemistry 2008-recalled," that was a real episode of contamination, some people with allergies, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. What just happened is just a curious story of an unusual phenomenon next to it. "
Among the areas affected by the "earthy brown dust," according to the report of the APA, are Burzaco, La Matanza, Vicente López, San Martín, Ituzaingó, and in the city, the neighborhoods of La Boca, Barracks, Floresta, Flores , Parque Chacabuco, Belgrano, Nuñez, Villa Crespo, Parque Avellaneda, Villa Park, Slaughter, Villa Lugano, Villa Devoto and Saavedra. The concern has spread, silently, like dust in the wind. In the suburbs north of the match was a reminder that in 2006 showed that a yellow dust falling increasingly blowing easterly winds came from a power plant in the Waterfront, which burn fuel oil. Also There were people who believed sulfur smell and recalled that in 2008 nine people were poisoned at a school in Belgrano. Someone prophesied the coming of pneumoconiosis, a disease caused by minerals in dust.
The APA has three Automatic Air Quality Monitoring stations located in La Boca, on the corner of Córdoba and Callao and in Centennial Park. They first confirmed that the air was not more polluted than normal. On Thursday, reports the study, "the concentration of respirable particulate matter in air was detected during the day varying between values \u200b\u200bten times lower than the limit allowed in our rules (150 micrograms/m3), up 65 percent thereof, without being exceeded at any time. " At stations were also collected terrine remains attached to the ground to do after physical-chemical analysis in the laboratories of the APA.
"Notwithstanding the various mining sites, the tests carried out show similar composition in all samples," the report, which is to be ruled out "point source pollutants" and refers to the likelihood that your origin is associated with wind erosion of soil. "This has to do with the dominance of the northeast wind. This material must have been very high, the cloud level, so that he could fall with the rain, "risked Arrechea, before indicating that only the National Weather Service (NWS) can know exactly where it came from dust.
The cause of the phenomenon, as noted in a special report of the MTF, is a "dust storm" that occurred last Sunday in northwestern Argentina and southern Bolivia, while it was raining in Buenos Aires. "There were very high winds and North West sector" in the highlands, the report continues, a region characterized by very dry, "especially this time of year when rainfall is practically nil." "As a matter of illustration, in the town La Quiaca (located 3462 meters above sea level) were recorded winds of 95 miles per hour west, with reports of severe dust storm reduced visibility to a hundred meters. "
According to the movement of winds in the middle levels of the atmosphere, between 3 and 5 miles high, "much of this dust storm was transported from the highlands to the center and east of the country the same Sunday and Monday. In this part of the dust came across a low pressure, which generated a large area of \u200b\u200bcloudiness and precipitation. "In this way, much of the dust in the middle layers of the atmosphere is incorporated into the clouds in the area of \u200b\u200bdeveloping and precipitated along with the rains, "explains the NMS. It rained so arena in Buenos Aires, where many other snow dreamed as 2007.
