Passive Sampling Project – Mexico City and Puebla

By: Lisa Jones (MESTECH).

Last weekend I arrived in Mexico city on their National Revolution Day long weekend. The city was buzzing with music and street performers.

I made my way to the city of Puebla, or, more specifically, to the Cholula area. Tuesday was the first day at Universidad de Las Americas Puebla (UDLAP).

I met with Dr. Erick Bandala González, my main point of contact in UDLAP. Dr. Bandala has taught courses at undergraduate and postgraduate studies in various topics related to the fundamentals and application of Engineering and Environmental Sciences with particular emphasis on treatment processes for water disinfection and decontamination, soil treatment and its application restoring contaminated sites.

We will be deploying passive sampling devices along the nearby Río Atoyac. The Atoyac River is polluted by 50 municipalities of Tlaxcala and Puebla, that discharge their waste water outdoors and at least a thousand industries that do not have treatment plants or do not function properly, and this has led to this tributary containing at least 25 known harmful substances and is a source of infection for diseases like hepatitis, cancer and cholera. Among the main polluters are the substances  by discharges from textile companies, food, chemical and petrochemical, beverage, metal-working, automotive and producing auto parts and paper.

This should lead to some interesting results!