Environmental Risks and Children’s Health in a Mayan Community from Southeast of Mexico

Abstract

Background:The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 25% of global morbidity and one-third of childhood morbidity may be attributable to environment. Low and high-income countries displayed different environmental risks. Mexico demonstrates the necessity for creating a national environmental health program. In southeastern Mexico, Tixméhuac, is a Mayan community with a high marginalization degree and social backwardness. The main childhood morbidities are acute and chronic diseases.Objective:The aim of the study was to recognize environmental risks for children’s health in Tixméhauc, Yucatan State.Methods:A total of one hundred children under five years old participated. To identify the environmental risks at home, items from the Green Sheet Guidance (WHO), Salamanca General Survey and Environmental Clinical History were used. To know the prevalence of respiratory diseases and asthma, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) survey was used. Potentially hazardous sites were identified partially using the Methodology for Identification and Evaluation of Health Hazards in Contaminated Sites from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).Findings:The low stature of, malnutrition, presence of wheezing and asthma symptoms in children were higher than expected. The suspected cases of parasitosis and vector-borne disease occurred in 50% of the children. Indoor air quality perception was associated with respiratory pathology history; housing quality was related to suspected cases of vector-borne diseases; drinking water quality was linked to suspected cases of parasitosis. Risk areas in the community include agricultural activity, which has led to deposits of empty containers of agrochemicals and electronic waste among solid waste dump.Conclusion:This study presents observed environmental risks to children in a low development country and in developing countries. The community has a low perception of the environmental risk. The need for public health programs reducing risks to children’s environmental health is imperative.

El Peridomicilio Y Las Zoonosis en Yucatán. Hacia La Búsqueda De Una Salud

“…Derivado de estos esfuerzos, han surgido diversos estudios en la región de la península de Yucatán (ver más adelante) que han documentado problemas de salud en la población, los cuales están ligados directa o indirectamente con la estructura de los espacios domiciliares y peridomiciliares. Estos son principalmente de dos tipos: los problemas de salud ocasionados por enfermedades zoonóticas y parasitarias y los problemas de salud asociados con la salud ambiental y la contaminación (Pacheco-Castro et al, 2013;Ramírez-Hernández et al, 2018).…”

“…El segundo grupo de problemas de salud son aquellos ligados a la presencia de contaminantes ambientales en el entorno domiciliar. Se ha documentado la presencia de plaguicidas, metales, hidrocarburos y otras sustancias tóxicas en animales sinantrópicos, agua y en seres humanos, ligando su exposición a los quehaceres cotidianos, los cuales muchas veces se dan en el contexto de las actividades productivas como talleres, manufacturas, artesanías, o por manejo inadecuado de plaguicidas o agroquímicos desarrollados en el huerto familiar o el peridomicilio; representando un importante riesgo para la salud pública y para la sostenibilidad ambiental (Ramírez-Hernández et al, 2018;Pérez-Herrera et al, 2019;Escamilla-López, Ruiz-Piña and Rendón-von Osten, 2020;Díaz de León-Martínez et al, 2021;Perera-Rios et al, 2021).…”