[Evaluation of exposure to carbon monoxide among kiosk vendors. Valencia, Venezuela].
OBJECTIVE
To study the level of exposure to carbon monoxide (CO), factors contributing to this exposure, and the exposure's potential effects on the health of vendors who have kiosks located on an avenue with heavy vehicular traffic in the city of Valencia, Venezuela.


METHODS
We measured the concentration of CO in the air (CO-air) in 16 kiosks in Valencia and also determined the concentration of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) in the blood of 20 individuals who worked in those kiosks. We also determined the COHb concentrations in a control group made up of 23 professors, students, and workers from Simón Rodríguez University, which is in a town some 120 km from Valencia, in a remote mountainous area without noticeable pollution.


RESULTS
In seven of the Valencia kiosks (43.7%) the permissible CO-air limits were exceeded. Among the vendors experimental group there was no correlation between the concentrations of CO-air and of COHb. The COHb average for the experimental group (2.9%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (1.6%) and that of the permissible level, according to the analytical method used (< 1.5%). Of a group of symptoms possibly related to CO exposure that were assessed as to whether or not they occurred on a daily basis, all of these symptoms affected a larger percentage of individuals in the experimental group than in the control group. The most common of these symptoms among the experimental group were fatigue and strong headaches.


CONCLUSIONS
While the vendors' COHb average does not seem alarming, the CO exposures found could have an adverse impact on these workers' health, especially if they suffered from cardiovascular disorders, or as the result of additive interactions with other environmental pollutants. We recommend carrying out additional studies with more frequent and extended measurements of air quality, to produce information that could be applied in efforts to prevent and control adverse CO health effects.
Rojas
M
M
Centro de Investigaciones Toxicológicas de la Universidad de Carabobo (CITUC), Valencia, Venezuela. martini@telcel.net.ve
Dueñas
A
A
Sidorovas
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014505:Urban Population; D014687:Venezuela