Indoor air pollution in a Mexican indigenous community: evaluation of risk reduction program using biomarkers of exposure and effect.
Indoor air pollution can be an important risk factor for human health, considering that people spend more than 60% of their time indoors. Fifty percent of the world population and approximately 90% of the rural population in developing countries are using biomass as energy source. Latin America represents 12% of the global consumption of biomass; in Mexico, 27 million people use wood as an energy source. Therefore, in this study we evaluated a 3-stage risk reduction program. The stages were: 1) removal of indoor soot adhered to roofs and internal walls; 2) paving the dirt floors; and 3) introduction of a new wood stove with a metal chimney that expels smoke outdoors. The complete intervention program was applied. In 20 healthy subject residents from an indigenous community in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, we measured blood carboxyhemoglobin (% COHb), DNA damage (comet assay) in nucleated blood cells, and urinary 1-OHP levels before and after the program. Before intervention individuals had a geometric mean COHb level of 4.93% and 53% of the population presented levels above 2.5% considered a safe level. However, in all the studied individuals the levels of COHb were reduced to below 2.5% (mean level 1.0%) one month after the intervention. Moreover, when compared, DNA damage in people exposed before the intervention was higher (5.8+/-1.3 of Tail Moment) than when the program was introduced (2.8+/-0.9 of Tail Moment) (P>0.05) and a same trend was observed with urinary 1-OHP levels; 6.71+/-3.58 micromol/mol creatinine was the concentration before intervention; whereas, 4.80+/-3.29 micromol/mol creatinine was the one after the program. The results suggest that the intervention program offers an acceptable risk reduction to those families that use biomass for food cooking.
Torres-Dosal
Arturo
A
Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Medicina, Avenida Venustiano Carranza 2405, 78210, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., Mexico.
Pérez-Maldonado
Iván N
IN
Jasso-Pineda
Yolanda
Y
Martínez Salinas
Rebeca I
RI
Alegría-Torres
Jorge A
JA
Díaz-Barriga
Fernando
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020552:Comet Assay; D003296:Cooking / Q000379:methods*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D044382:Population Groups; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000032:analysis; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D014934:Wood
D015415:Biomarkers; D011721:Pyrenes; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin; C033146:1-hydroxypyrene