Carbon monoxide exposure in households in Ciudad Juárez, México.
This study assessed exposure to carbon monoxide from gas and wood heater emissions in a sample of 64 households in peri-urban residential areas in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México. Indoor and outdoor carbon monoxide concentrations and temperatures were monitored for a continuous period of 1 week at 1 and 6-min intervals, respectively. The moving average carbon monoxide concentrations were compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for carbon monoxide. Sixty-seven percent of households with gas heaters and 60% of households with wood heaters exceeded a health-based standard at some point during the monitoring. The difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures was modestly correlated with average carbon monoxide exposure (r=0.35, p-value <0.01). Heater type may be a stronger determinant of exposure, as households with a particular heater model (the El Sol FM-210) were significantly more likely to be among the more highly exposed households (odds ratio of 4.8, p-value of 0.02). A variety of health effects were pooled and found at elevated frequency in the households that exceeded the 8-h standard of 9ppm (odds ratio=5.1, p-value=0.031). These results highlight the need for further efforts to identify and mitigate potentially hazardous carbon monoxide exposures, particularly in moderate-income countries with cooler climates.
Montoya
Teresa
T
Center for Environmental Resource Management, University of Texas, El Paso, Texas, USA.
Gurian
Patrick L
PL
Velázquez-Angulo
Gilberto
G
Corella-Barud
Verónica
V
Rojo
Analila
A
Graham
Jay P
JP
D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis*; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006361:Heating / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D012306:Risk; D014691:Ventilation
D002248:Carbon Monoxide