Políticas ambientales locales para el control de alteraciones respiratorias por contaminación vehicular en los escolares del cantón Cuenca, 2006

Abstract

The knowledge of the negative impact of air contamination in the breathing system of the children from Cuenca next to the necessity of having local environmental political dedicated to control this impact, was carried out the present study of acute breathing infections incidence associated to vehicles atmospheric contamination in schools of 6 to 12 years of Cuenca city 2006. Objective: The association was investigated between the acute breathing infections and the atmospheric contamination in school from 6 to 12 years that attend urban schools of Cuenca, with different traffic intensity; and, it outlined thought about local environmental political to control the environmental contamination. Design: We select two areas with different traffic intensity and enrolled 250 children in each area. To all the children were carried our anthropometry, carboxyhemoglobin determination and hemoglobin, and an interview of factors of risk inside the home. It was monitored the number of vehicles and the concentration of monoxide of carbon in the vicinity of the schools. During 12 weeks the children were visited to detect cases of acute breathing infection. Finally thought about local environmental political to control the environmental contamination. Results: The children with carboxyhemoglobin on the levels of security had 3.1 [95% interval of trust 1.27– 7.63] times more probability of having acute breathing infection that the children with carboxyhemoglobin <2.5%. the children of the area of more concentration of monoxide of carbon had twice [95% 1.25 – 2.53] more risk of acute breathing infection. Conclusion: Association exists among the exhibition to environmental contamination for monoxide of carbon in school of 6 to 12 years of age that have high concentrations of carboxyhemoglobin. These results will allow to implant and to develop Political Enviromental Local, dedicated to improve the quality of life to the habitants from Cuenca. Words Key: Carboxyhemoglobin, environmental contamination, Cuenca, school, acute breathing infections, carbon monoxide.