title: Health Impacts from Corn Production Pre-and Post-NAFTA Trade Agreement (1986-2013).
abstract: Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful methodology for the study of health impacts and public policies. We performed this study to quantitatively explain the potential health impacts on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of corn produced in Mexico and imported from the United States of America (U.S.) from 1984 until 2014. The processes are hybrid and organic corn production. The functional unit was defined as 1 ton of corn production. Results indicate a total value of 178,431, 244,175, and 283,426 DALYs of three decades: 1984-1993, 1994-2003, and 2004-2013, of Mexican production; the U.S. production and transport were also calculated, showing values of 29,815, 65,837, and 107,729 for the same three decades. Additionally, DALYs were obtained for the category of human health and climate change by functional unit: 802.31 (1984-1993), 802.67 (1994-2003), and 803.92 (2004-2013), and for imported corn transported to Mexico from the U.S., 859.12 (1984-2013). DALYs on human toxicity were obtained: 99.05 (1984-1993), 99.05 (1994-2003), and 99.04 (2004-2013), and for the corn imported and transported to Mexico from the U.S., 116.25 (1984-2013).
  
  
  
  Environmental and health impacts in terms of DALYs are higher when corn is imported versus the corn produced in Mexico. Environmental health and nominal corn cultivation and transport impacts have increased as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexico needs to redefine its public policies to suffer less of an environmental burden from corn to ensure global environmental health and food security.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health and the Global Environment, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA. omendoza@hsph.harvard.edu.|Facultad de Ingenier&#237;a Civil, Universidad de Colima, Coquimatl&#225;n 28400, Mexico. omendoza@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mendoza-Cano
authors.affiliation: Center for Health and the Global Environment, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA. rsanchez@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Ramón Alberto
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Piña
authors.affiliation: Center for Health and the Global Environment, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA. alvaro.goniba@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Álvaro Jesús
authors.initials: ÁJ
authors.lastname: González-Ibarra
authors.affiliation: Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Unidad de Medicina Familiar 19. Colima, Colima 28000, Mexico. efren.murilloza@imss.gob.mx.
authors.forename: Efrén
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Murillo-Zamora
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ingenier&#237;a Civil, Universidad de Colima, Coquimatl&#225;n 28400, Mexico. cynthia.nava20@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cynthia Monique
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nava-Garibaldi
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004777:Environment; D005523:Food Supply; D062489:Health Impact Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D011057:Politics; D011640:Public Policy; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D014481:United States; D003313:Zea mays
keywords: DALYs; corn; life cycle assessment