Comparative analysis of PM10 particulate matter

This paper presents the concentrations of PM10 in the urban area of Riohacha, Colombia. Two simultaneous sampling methods are compared. The high-volume sampler PM10, Graseby Andersen and a nephelometer DataRam 4 (Thermo Electron corporation). Data was collected over three months in two sites (Desalud and Bienestar) of the urban area of Riohacha. The results show that the average PM10 concentration was 23.64 mu g/m(3) and 36.86 mu g/m(3) in the two stations using the Data Ram 4 and 25.09 mu g/m(3) and 36.64 mu g/m(3) using the high-volume sampler PM10. The correlation analysis shows a positive consistency for all the pairs in these two monitoring methods: R-2 = 0.5377 for the season Desalud and R-2 = 0.7276 for the season Bienestar. The coefficient increased when the results were correlated to the days with RH less than 70%: R-2 = 0.89 station Desalud and R-2 = 0.69 Bienestar Station. The results showed that the photometric method (Data Ram 4) can be used to determine concentrations of particulate matter PM10 at Riohacha environmental conditions.