Evaluación de la calidad del aire presente en la Mina Subterránea La Zamorana ubicada en el cantón Paquisha, provincia de Zamora Chinchipe

Abstract

The inherent risk of exposure to harmful agents from atmospheric pollutants is a recurrent threat in mining operations context. This exposure can lead to significant health problems. In order to tackle this challenge, an air quality analysis was conducted at La Zamorana mine, aimed at quantifying the presence of atmospheric pollutants to which workers are exposed. The methodological approach was oriented to a quantitative descriptive perspective. Four monitoring points were established in relation to the contaminant emitting source and continuous gas measurements were taken according to OSHA and US EPA international standards. These points covered four different sections in the study area, designed so as not to interfere with ongoing mining activities. Based on the investigation, it was developed a methodology that allows the analysis of gas behavior using statistical tools. In addition, a novel approach was introduced to validate the effectiveness of monitoring in underground mining environments, using the statistical test known as "Student's T-Test". The results obtained determine that the closest areas to the mining activities have the highest levels of pollutant emissions. Specifically, incidents of PM 10 particulate matter concentrations were documented, registering values of 89.3 µg/m3 and 92.2 µg/m3, as well as PM 2.5 concentrations with measurements of 86.2 µg/m3 and 87.2 µg/m3. By contrast, a limited presence of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide was detected, while carbon monoxides were completely excluded in the analyzed areas.