Sanchez R A
Department of Urban and Environmental Studies, El Colegio De La Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.
Environ Health Perspect. 1995 Feb;103 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):93-7. doi: 10.1289/ehp.95103s193.
This article presents the results of a transboundary water quality monitoring program at the two Nogales area in the Arizona-Sonora border region. The program was carried out jointly in 1990 by U.S. and Mexican institutions. The results show pollution problems due to deficiencies in Nogales, Sonora municipal sewerage system, causing not only sewage spills in several parts of the city but also creating occasional transboundary problems. The results also showed potential illegal dumping of industrial hazardous waste (VOCs) into Nogales' municipal sewerage system. All of the organic compounds found in the sewage samples are solvents frequently used by the border industry. Occasional brakes of pipes spill the pollutants into the Nogales Wash, a water stream that runs parallel to Nogales' main sewerage line. Samples of the municipal water system showed no traces of pollutants. However, two rounds of samples detected concentrations of VOCs in wells used to supply water by trucks to low income neighborhoods in Nogales, Sonora. Ironically, the pollution detected in these wells has a greater impact in low income groups of the city that pay three to four times more per liter of water they consume, than the rest of the inhabitants with clean water from the municipal system.
本文介绍了亚利桑那州-索诺拉边境地区两个诺加利斯地区跨界水质监测项目的结果。该项目于1990年由美国和墨西哥机构联合开展。结果显示，索诺拉州诺加利斯市的市政污水系统存在缺陷，导致了污染问题，不仅在城市的几个地方出现污水外溢，还偶尔引发跨界问题。结果还显示，可能存在向诺加利斯市市政污水系统非法倾倒工业危险废物（挥发性有机化合物）的情况。污水样本中发现的所有有机化合物都是边境工业常用的溶剂。管道偶尔破裂会将污染物泄漏到诺加利斯河槽，这条水流与诺加利斯的主要污水管道平行。市政供水系统的样本未检测到污染物痕迹。然而，两轮采样在索诺拉州诺加利斯市用于向低收入社区运送供水的水井中检测到了挥发性有机化合物的浓度。具有讽刺意味的是，这些水井中检测到的污染对该市低收入群体的影响更大，他们每升饮用水的花费比使用市政系统清洁水的其他居民高出三到四倍。
