Some aspects of air pollution in Córdoba, Argentina

Córdoba, as well as many other Latin American cities, is facing problems concerning air pollution. The increase in the number of cars, the poor control on emissions and the little use of catalytic converters, produce a great amount of toxic gases and particulate. Many cities have started air quality measurement programs being the size of the network strongly dependent on the available funds. In 1995, Córdoba started a measurement campaign with two mobile stations. A major part of the city has been characterized, mostly the city center and the suburban zone. Lack of data at the prevailing wind direction is the major shortcoming, but this is mainly a political decision. In this work, we review the air quality measurements performed, and we attempt to explain the causes for the low ozone values found.