RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between parental occupational exposure to organic solvents, and the risk of anencephaly in Mexico. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted based on the registers of the Epidemiological Surveillance System for Neural Tube Defects in Mexico; 151 cases of anencephaly of > or =20 weeks' gestation were included. A control, born alive and without any apparent congenital malformations at birth, was selected for each case in the same maternity service in which the case was born. Information on occupational exposures, lifestyle habits, reproductive history, use of medicines, supplementation with multivitamins and folic acid, was obtained by a general questionnaire; a food frequency questionnaire was also applied to obtain information of daily intake of folate and other B vitamins. Occupational exposure to organic solvents was based on job title as a proxy for exposure and analysed considering two critical periods around conception. RESULTS: In logistic regression analysis, the odds of having a child with anencephaly was higher if the mother or the father was occupationally exposed to organic solvents during the periconceptional period, or when both parents or at least one of them were occupationally exposed during this period with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.97 (95% CI 1.36 to 6.52). CONCLUSIONS: The results support the hypothesis that both maternal and paternal occupational exposure to organic solvents can increase the probability of having a child with anencephaly.
Assuntos
Anencefalia/epidemiologia , Exposição Materna/estatística & dados numéricos , Exposição Ocupacional , Exposição Paterna/estatística & dados numéricos , Solventes/toxicidade , Adulto , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , México/epidemiologia , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Exposição Ocupacional/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
Pesticide exposure, including organophosphorous (OP) insecticides, has been associated with poor semen quality, and paraoxonase (PON1), an enzyme involved in OP deactivation, may have a role on their susceptibility, due to PON1 polymorphisms. Our objective was to evaluate the role of PON1Q192R polymorphism on the susceptibility to OP toxicity on semen quality and DNA integrity in agricultural workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted in farmers with Mayan ascendancy from southeastern Mexico chronically exposed to pesticides; mostly OP. Fifty four agricultural workers (18-55 years old) were included, who provided semen and blood samples. Semen quality was evaluated according to WHO, sperm DNA damage by in situ-nick translation (NT-positive cells), PON1Q192R polymorphism by real-time PCR and serum PON1 activity by using phenylacetate and paraoxon. Two OP exposure indexes were created: at the month of sampling and during 3 months before sampling, representing the exposure to spermatids-spermatozoa and to cells at one spermatogenic cycle, respectively. PON1 192R and 192Q allele frequencies were 0.54 and 0.46, respectively. Significant associations were found between OP exposure at the month of sampling and NT-positive cells and sperm viability in homozygote 192RR subjects, and dose-effect relationships were observed between OP exposure during 3 months before sampling and sperm quality parameters and NT-positive cells in homozygote 192RR farmers. This suggests that cells at all stages of spermatogenesis are target of OP, and that there exists an interaction between OP exposure and PON1Q192R polymorphism on these effects; farmers featuring the 192RR genotype were more susceptible to develop reproductive toxic effects by OP exposure.
Assuntos
Doenças dos Trabalhadores Agrícolas/induzido quimicamente , Doenças dos Trabalhadores Agrícolas/genética , Arildialquilfosfatase/genética , DNA/efeitos dos fármacos , Inseticidas/toxicidade , Compostos Organofosforados/toxicidade , Sêmen/efeitos dos fármacos , Adolescente , Adulto , Doenças dos Trabalhadores Agrícolas/epidemiologia , Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/epidemiologia , Arildialquilfosfatase/metabolismo , Estudos Transversais , Dano ao DNA , Frequência do Gene , Genótipo , Humanos , Marcação In Situ das Extremidades Cortadas , Modelos Lineares , Masculino , México/epidemiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Polimorfismo Genético/efeitos dos fármacos , Polimorfismo Genético/genética , Fumar/epidemiologia , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias/epidemiologiaRESUMO
AIMS: To evaluate the association between parental occupational exposure to agricultural work and the risk of anencephaly in three Mexican states. METHODS: A paired case control study (1:1) was done based on records of the Epidemiological Surveillance System of Neural Tube Defects in Mexico; 151 cases of anencephaly of more than 20 weeks' gestation were selected between March 2000 and February 2001. Controls were selected from the same maternity services as those of the cases and were born alive without congenital malformations. Information was obtained from both parents by means of a general questionnaire, a food frequency questionnaire, and a specific questionnaire on occupational exposure to pesticides. Exposures were analysed with emphasis on the three months before and one month after the last menstruation periods (acute risk period (ARP)), as well as exposure prior to the above mentioned period (non-acute risk period (NARP)). RESULTS: The children of mothers who worked in agriculture in the ARP had a greater risk of anencephaly (OR = 4.57, 95% CI 1.05 to 19.96). The risk of fathers having a child with anencephaly was greater in those who applied pesticides irrespective of whether it was done in the ARP or the NARP (OR = 2.50, 95% CI 0.73 to 8.64; and OR = 2.03, 95% CI 0.58 to 7.08, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis of the effect of maternal exposure to agricultural work on anencephaly and suggest that exposure of the father to pesticides in the periconceptional period or prior to this can also increase the risk of having an anencephalic child.
Assuntos
Agricultura , Anencefalia/etiologia , Exposição Materna/efeitos adversos , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Exposição Paterna/efeitos adversos , Praguicidas/toxicidade , Adolescente , Adulto , Anencefalia/epidemiologia , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Ácido Fólico/administração & dosagem , Humanos , Masculino , México/epidemiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Razão de Chances , Gravidez , Medição de Risco , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosAssuntos
Poluição do Ar , Efeito Estufa , Saúde Pública , Poluição do Ar/efeitos adversos , Poluição do Ar/prevenção & controle , Brasil , Chile , Países Desenvolvidos , Países em Desenvolvimento , Previsões , Combustíveis Fósseis , Nível de Saúde , Humanos , México , Mortalidade , Cidade de Nova Iorque , Ozônio/efeitos adversosRESUMO
To investigate the potential local health benefits of adopting greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation policies, we develop scenarios of GHG mitigation for México City, México; Santiago, Chile; São Paulo, Brazil; and New York, New York, USA using air pollution health impact factors appropriate to each city. We estimate that the adoption of readily available technologies to lessen fossil fuel emissions over the next two decades in these four cities alone will reduce particulate matter and ozone and avoid approximately 64,000 (95% confidence interval [CI] 18,000-116,000) premature deaths (including infant deaths), 65,000 (95% CI 22,000-108,000) chronic bronchitis cases, and 46 million (95% CI 35-58 million) person-days of work loss or other restricted activity. These findings illustrate that GHG mitigation can provide considerable local air pollution-related public health benefits to countries that choose to abate GHG emissions by reducing fossil fuel combustion.
Assuntos
Poluição do Ar/efeitos adversos , Poluição do Ar/prevenção & controle , Efeito Estufa , Mortalidade/tendências , Saúde Pública , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Bronquite/etiologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Clima , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Expectativa de Vida , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Morbidade , Política Pública , População UrbanaRESUMO
Industrial growth has created the potential for environmental problems in Mexico, since attention to environmental controls and urban planning has lagged behind the pace of industrialization. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess lead exposure in children aged 6-9 yr attending 3 primary schools and living in the vicinity of the largest smelter complex in Mexico. One of the schools is located 650 m distant from a smelter complex that includes a lead smelter (close school); the second is located 1750 m away from the complex and at the side of a heavy traffic road (intermediate school) in Torreon, Coahuila. The third school is located in Comez Palacio, Durango, 8100 m away from the smelter complex and distant from heavy vehicular traffic or industrial areas (remote school). Lead was measured in air, soil, dust, and well water. Lead in blood (PbB) was determined in 394 children attending the above mentioned schools. Determinations were performed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Diet, socioeconomic status, hygienic habits, and other variables were assessed by questionnaire. Median (range) PbB values were 7.8 microg/dl (3.54-29.61) in the remote school, 21.8 microg/dl (8.37-52.08) in the intermediate school and 27.6 microg/dl (7.37-58.53) in children attending the close school. The percentage of children with PbB > 15 microg/dl was 6.80%, 84.9%, and 92.1% respectively. In this order, the geometric means (range) of Pb concentrations in air were 2.5 microg/m3 (1.1-7.5), 5.8 microg/m3 (4.3-8.5), and 6.1 microg/m3 (1.6-14.9). The Pb concentrations in dust from playgrounds areas in the intermediate and close school settings ranged from 1,457 to 4,162.5 mg/kg. Pb concentrations in drinking water were less than 5 microg/L. Soil and dust ingestion and inhalation appear to be the main routes of exposure. Our results indicate that environmental contamination has resulted in an increased body burden of Pb, suggesting that children living in the vicinity of the smelter complex are at high risk for adverse effects of lead.
Assuntos
Exposição Ambiental/análise , Chumbo/análise , Metalurgia , Poluentes Ocupacionais do Ar/análise , Carga Corporal (Radioterapia) , Criança , Poeira/análise , Humanos , Chumbo/sangue , Chumbo/urina , México , Poluentes do Solo/análise , Poluentes Químicos da Água/análiseRESUMO
This cross-sectional study examined the effects of chronic exposure to lead (Pb), arsenic (AS) and undernutrition on the neuropsychological development of children. Two populations chronically exposed to either high (41 children) or low (39 children) levels of As and Pb were analyzed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Revised Version, for México (WISC-RM). Geometric means of urinary arsenic (AsU) and lead in blood (PbB) were 62.9+/-0.03 (microgAs/g creatinine) and 8.9+/-0.03 (microg/dl) for the exposed group and 40.2+/-0.03 (microgAs/g creatinine) and 9.7+/-0.02 (microg/dl) for the reference group. The height for age index (HAI) was used as an indicator of chronic malnutrition and sociodemographic information was obtained with a questionnaire. Lead and arsenic were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Data on full, verbal, and performance intelligence quotients (IQ) scores, long-term memory, linguistic abstraction, attention span, and visuospatial organization were obtained through the WISC-RM. After controlling for significant potential confounders verbal IQ (P<0.01) decreased with increasing concentrations of AsU. The HAI correlated positively with full-scale and performance IQ (P<0.01). Higher levels of AsU were significantly related to poorer performance on WISC-RM factors examining long-term memory and linguistic abstraction, while lower scores in WISC-RM factors measuring attention were obtained at increasing values of PbB. Our results suggest that exposure to As and chronic malnutrition could have an influence on verbal abilities and long-term memory, while Pb exposure could affect the attention process even at low levels.
Assuntos
Arsênio/efeitos adversos , Desenvolvimento Infantil , Deficiências do Desenvolvimento/induzido quimicamente , Exposição Ambiental , Poluentes Ambientais/efeitos adversos , Chumbo/efeitos adversos , Distúrbios Nutricionais/complicações , Criança , Transtornos Cognitivos/induzido quimicamente , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Testes de Inteligência , Masculino , Memória , MéxicoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the evidence of acute health effects from exposure to particulate matter and ozone. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed using random effect models, to summarize the health effects of pollution, published in major international and Mexican journals up to June 2000. RESULTS: Results were given as percent increase in ten units of PM10 (microgram/m3) and ozone (ppb). PM10 was found to have an effect on mortality (0.96%), hospital admissions (1.39%), emergency room visits (3.11%), respiratory symptoms (7.72%), pulmonary forced vital capacity (1.42%), and restricted activity days (7.74%). Ozone effects were equally significant. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show the great impact that air pollutants may have on the health of populations living in large metropolis.
Assuntos
Poluentes Atmosféricos/efeitos adversos , Morbidade , Mortalidade , Ozônio/efeitos adversos , Idoso , Criança , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência , Hospitalização , Humanos , Lactente , Mortalidade Infantil , Recém-Nascido , Pulmão/fisiologia , Metanálise como Assunto , México , Testes de Função RespiratóriaRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To identify factors (particularly social, economic and cultural), associated with the risk of death from pulmonary tuberculosis in Mexico. METHODS: A case-control study of patients receiving medical attention from the official health services of Veracruz, Mexico. Cases were deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis in 1993. Controls were survivors randomly selected from the State Tuberculosis Case Registry. Next of kin provided information for both cases and controls. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis of 161 cases and 161 controls showed an increased risk of dying for those patients who withdrew from treatment (odds ratio [OR] = 3.52), who were refused medical attention during some period of time in any health center (OR = 4.45), and who had a concomitant disease at the time of diagnosis (OR = 2.62). A linear trend with age was observed (OR = 1.02 per year), as well as a lower risk for those patients who were compliant with treatment and optimistic about surviving the disease (OR = 0.17). The risk of death was not associated with the presence of a health care unit in the town, time spent to get to the health center, or the residence of a patient in an urban area. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that deaths due to tuberculosis in this area are not related to the geographical distribution of health services but to delays in treatment after the onset of disease and to the low adherence of patients to the treatment regimen.