The air in Santo Domingo has levels of pollutant particles above the WHO average

Santo Domingo, DR

A monitoring and research project on air quality in Santo Domingo revealed that there are polluting particles, as a result of the impact of the transport sector, at levels higher than those established by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to this investigation carried out by the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) together with international organizations, in Santo Domingo, it has been detected that the levels of polluting particles amount to 35.44 micrograms per cubic meter (µg / m3) when the WHO establishes that the maximum is 10 µg / m3.

Likewise, the investigation indicated that there are levels higher than those recommended in particles of Soot or Black Carbon with 14.75 µg / m3.

 “This, at the present time under a global epidemic due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, of general affectation in the upper respiratory tract, has even greater importance and results in a greater cause for concern”, considered the Vice Minister of Hydrocarbons, Alberto Reyes.

Other findings

Within this project, an investigation was also carried out for the “Establishment of a baseline for the fuel economy of light vehicles 2005-2015”, which established that the average consumption of light vehicles in 2015 was 9.85 liters of gasoline (Lge) per 100 kilometers, slightly above the average for Latin America for the same year, which is 9.50 Lge / 100 km, according to data from the UN Environment Air Quality Unit.

They indicated that this baseline has been useful to know for the first time the average atmospheric emissions of light vehicles in the country, based on 2015.