Within our country, CDMX is classified as the most developed city. This can be seen in the many possibilities it offers and the wide variety of alternatives that exist. Even within the health field, it is the one with the most hospitals to attend to the patients who require it. Although it also has adverse aspects that cannot be ignored. Among them is a greater risk of suffering from respiratory diseases.
What is the reason?
This is due to the high concentration of fine particles smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5 µg / m³) suspended in the air, 23.3 micrograms per cubic meter (23.3 µg / m³) that prevail in the environment. This represents more than 10 times what is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A study carried out in CDMX older adults found that for every 10μg / m3 increase in the concentration of PM2.5, their heart rate was reduced by 5% and the effect was greater in patients with hypertension. Children may also be at risk for complications from breathing air with high concentrations of PM2.5. Their lungs are not fully developed yet, they are more active than adults and more likely to develop asthma or other respiratory diseases.
One reason associated with the increase in PM2.5 in cities like CDMX is that more than 50.5 million vehicles circulate with gasoline added with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), an oxygenating agent of fossil origin that pollutes the air and aquifers. .
“If energy from renewable sources such as ethanol were used, as is already the case in more than 70 countries, at a percentage of at least 10 percent, it could reduce more than 30% of PM2.5 emissions. A gigantic step to get closer to what is recommended by the WHO is to improve air quality, and consequently, the health of millions of people ”, commented Luis Alonso González, president of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Mexican Association for Sustainable Mobility (AMMS).
How can it be solved?
For the aforementioned, he assured that the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) must give its ruling on the use of 10 percent ethanol (E10) throughout the country. He also mentioned that several studies have been delivered that demonstrate the real benefits to health, the environment, the economy and the development of the country, mainly in the southeast of Mexico.
There is still a lot of uncertainty, which is why he mentioned that a call should be made to see for the health of the population and the sustainable development of the country. Otherwise, health problems from respiratory diseases will continue to increase.