Risk Perception and Chronic Exposure to Organochlorine Pesticides in Maya Communities of Mexico |
| |
Authors: | Ángel G Polanco Rodríguez M Inmaculada Riba López T Ángel DelValls Casillas Patrizia Quattrocchi Fernando J Álvarez Cervera Francisco J Solorio Sánchez |
| |
Institution: | 1. Laboratorio de Medicina Social y Salud Pública, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales “Dr. Hideyo Noguchi” de la Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Yucatan, Mexico;2. Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, UNESCO/UNITWIN WiCoP (Wise Coastal Practices), Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain;3. DISU-Dipartimento di Scienze Umane, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy;4. Laboratorio de Neurofisiología, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales “Dr. Hideyo Noguchi” de la Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Yucatan, Mexico;5. Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Yucatan, Mexico |
| |
Abstract: | In order to analyze risk perception related to the use and handling of organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in agricultural and livestock activities among Maya communities of Yucatan, Mexico, and to study their impact on public health and the environment, we conducted an analytical study applying 274 semi-structured interviews in 11 municipalities in the zone called “Ring of Cenotes.” The harmful effects of agrochemicals on water supplies, soils, air, and human health were considered, including the indoor use of pesticides to preserve harvest products. Recent studies showed high levels of OCP in groundwater. A generalized low risk perception related to human health and the environment due to pesticide use was found. Likewise, social parameters were analyzed, including the educational level, as well as risk factors related to groundwater karst vulnerability. Pesticides that have been banned by international conventions are still in use. The occurrence of some diseases such as cervical cancer, with a very high prevalence at the national level, and the practice of obtaining drinking water from polluted wells and sinkholes, may be associated with this low risk perception and with poor social conditions. Establishing programs on health education, agro-ecological production alternatives, and water chemical quality monitoring is recommended. |
| |
Keywords: | pesticides risk perception health poverty |
|
|