Researcher Gleisy Pérez Avilleira pointed out that in the Antillean nation the study of air pollution is a very important challenge for scientists, since there are still technical and analytical limitations to develop monitoring programs.
Despite this, several research projects on the subject have been undertaken since 2015, he stressed.
Almost a decade ago, the state service for the Study of Atmospheric Pollution in Cienfuegos began these studies, which later expanded to the provinces of Villa Clara and Havana through other larger projects such as Tinair, Pérez Avilleira explained.
The CEAC monitoring, evaluation and management project for air quality and its impact on human health and ecosystems (Tinair) seeks to strengthen national capacities for the evaluation and management of air quality at the national level, in order to to know the levels, distribution and origin of contaminants.
In order to measure air pollution, between 2019 and 2022, biomonitors or bioindicators such as mosses or lichens were used in Cuba, which are biological organisms capable of modifying their physiology due to the alteration of the air, the researcher explained in statements to the Press. Latina.
To support these environmental studies, there is an Air Quality Station in Cienfuegos, which has carried out air quality research in several large Cuban cities and another station in Havana.
Tinair is a national project, executed by CEAC experts and financed by the Agency for Nuclear Energy and Advanced Technologies, which responds to the State Plan to Confront Climate Change – Life Task.
This national initiative also responds to Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 11, related to Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and Make cities more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, respectively.
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