Impacto de un sitio de disposición final de residuos sólidos en la salud respiratoria de los adultos mayores

Environmental risk factors and the associated morbidity in a periurban area, Alexandria, Egypt

BACKGROUND

According to the WHO, nearly 24% of the global disease burden is attributable to environmental risk factors (RFs). People living in periurban areas are particularly at risk due to lack of basic sanitation requirements.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the possible association between environmental RFs and disease prevalence for a community living in a periurban area in Alexandria, Egypt.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012. The study sample consisted of 355 families. An interviewing questionnaire and an observation checklist were used for data collection. In addition, 10 drinking water samples were randomly collected for physical, chemical, and bacteriological analyses. The questionnaire included questions on indoor environmental RFs as well as morbidity in the study sample, and the observation checklist covered outdoor environmental RFs. The environmental risk was determined using a risk score whose calculation was based upon the presence/absence of 10 indoor and 12 outdoor environmental RFs. The association between risk scores and 14 morbidities was investigated using unconditional logistic regression analysis, expressed as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

A significant association was found between the total environmental risk score and respiratory diseases (OR=2.298, 95% CI: 1.231-4.291), diarrhea (OR=2.083, 95% CI: 1.102-3.939), liver diseases (OR=2.491, 95% CI: 1.067-5.819), skin diseases (OR=1.821, 95% CI: 1.012-3.310), and bronchial asthma (OR=2.228, 95% CI: 1.066-4.565). Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and musculoskeletal diseases did not show any significant association with environmental RFs.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Environmental RFs have an adverse impact on health within communities living in periurban areas. It is recommended that sanitation be improved and various outdoor environmental RFs be addressed in these underprivileged areas, as well as health education campaigns be organized aiming at raising the awareness of residents on indoor environmental RFs and ways to prevent them.

Differences in health symptoms among residents living near illegal dump sites in Los Laureles Canyon, Tijuana, Mexico: a cross sectional survey

Living near landfills is a known health hazard prompting recognition of environmental injustice. The study aim was to compare self-reported symptoms of ill health among residents of four neighborhoods, living in haphazardly constructed settlements surrounded by illegal dumpsites in Tijuana, Mexico. One adult from each of 388 households located in Los Laureles Canyon were interviewed about demographics, health status, and symptoms. Distance from each residence to both the nearest dumpsite and the canyon bottom was assessed. The neighborhoods were selected from locations within the canyon, and varied with respect to proximity to dump sites. Residents of San Bernardo reported significantly higher frequencies of ill-health symptoms than the other neighborhoods, including extreme fatigue (OR 3.01 (95% CI 1.6-5.5)), skin problems/irritations (OR 2.73 (95% CI 1.3-5.9)), stomach discomfort (OR 2.47 (1.3-4.8)), eye irritation/tears (OR 2.02 (1.2-3.6)), and confusion/difficulty concentrating (OR 2.39 (1.2-4.8)). Proximity to dumpsites did not explain these results, that varied only slightly when adjusted for distance to nearest dumpsite or distance to the canyon bottom. Because San Bernardo has no paved roads, we hypothesize that dust and the toxicants it carries is a possible explanation for this difference. Studies are needed to further document this association and sources of toxicants.