Risk assessment of PM2.5 to child residents in Brazilian Amazon region with biofuel production

Environmental Health

Research

Eliane Ignotti¹  Paulo Artaxo²  Washington Leite Junger³  Paulo Hilário do Nascimento Saldiva⁴  Beatriz Fátima Alves de Oliveira⁵  Sandra Hacon⁵ 

[1] Department of Nursing, State University of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso, Brazil;Institute of Public Health, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso, Brazil;Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil;Institute of Social Medicine, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil;Public Health and Environment Post-graduation, National School of Public Health at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;

关键词: Particulate matter;    Biomass burning;    Risk assessment;    Health effects;    Children;    Adolescents and Brazilian Amazon;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1476-069X-11-64

 received in 2012-04-17, accepted in 2012-09-11,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundExposure to fine fractions of particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with increased hospital admissions and mortality for respiratory and cardiovascular disease in children and the elderly. This study aims to estimate the toxicological risk of PM2.5 from biomass burning in children and adolescents between the age of 6 and 14 in Tangará da Serra, a municipality of Subequatorial Brazilian Amazon.MethodsRisk assessment methodology was applied to estimate the risk quotient in two scenarios of exposure according to local seasonality. The potential dose of PM2.5 was estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation, stratifying the population by age, gender, asthma and Body Mass Index (BMI).ResultsMale asthmatic children under the age of 8 at normal body rate had the highest risk quotient among the subgroups. The general potential average dose of PM2.5 was 1.95 μg/kg.day (95% CI: 1.62 – 2.27) during the dry scenario and 0.32 μg/kg.day (95% CI: 0.29 – 0.34) in the rainy scenario. During the dry season, children and adolescents showed a toxicological risk to PM2.5 of 2.07 μg/kg.day (95% CI: 1.85 – 2 .30).ConclusionsChildren and adolescents living in the Subequatorial Brazilian Amazon region were exposed to high levels of PM2.5 resulting in toxicological risk for this multi-pollutant. The toxicological risk quotients of children in this region were comparable or higher to children living in metropolitan regions with PM2.5 air pollution above the recommended limits to human health.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© de Oliveira et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012