Mexico is the sixth largest producer of sugar cane, representing an important income for its economy. Nevertheless, every year many tons of particles are emitted to the atmosphere due to inadequate agricultural practices such as the sugarcane burning. Eight sugarcane mills and many sugarcane crops are close to the City of Córdoba, located in the Veracruz State (the main sugarcane producer in the country). Thus, in order to have a major knowledge about the levels of particles and the toxic species contained in them, two PM2.5 sampling campaigns were performed in the city and in a rural location at xx km of it; the first was carried out during the harvest season and the second during the no harvest season. PM2.5 levels in the City of Córdoba ranged from 29.9 to 102.1 g m-3 and from 13 to 36.6 in the harvest and no-harvest periods, respectively, while in the rural area concentrations ranged from 41.7 to 90.3 g m-3 and from 12.5 to 41.7 g m-3 in the harvest and no-harvest periods, respectively. Total carbon (TC) concentrations during harvesting were around 67% and 64% higher than in no-harvesting in the city and rural area, respectively. These values show that the sources located in the city had a high contribution. In opposite, the sum of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations were 5 and 2 times greater in the rural area and the city, respectively during harvesting and no-harvesting periods, because in the rural area the sugarcane burning is closer than in the city. The results of this research can help to authorities in the control strategies design to reduce PM2.5, specially during harvesting.
