FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMATOLOGY IN A POPULATION LIVING NEAR AN OPEN CAST COAL MINE IN LA GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMATOLOGY IN A POPULATION LIVING NEAR AN OPEN CAST COAL MINE IN LA GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA
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DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.1593642328087
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Palavras-chave: Mina de carvão a céu aberto; Doenças respiratórias; Poluição do ar; Fatores de risco; Colômbia
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Keywords: Opencast coal mine; Respiratory diseases; Air pollution; Risk factors; Colombia.
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Abstract: Objective: To determine factors associated with respiratory disease symptoms in communities living near an open cast coal mine in northern Colombia. Methods: A survey was applied three times a year, during rainy and dry seasons, inquiring about health conditions and the homes' internal and external environment. People classified as having symptoms of respiratory disease if they fell into at least one of three respiratory symptomatology groups. All other persons were classified as having no symptoms of respiratory disease. Fixed effects logistic models were estimated to determine which factors influence the probability of respiratory symptomatology. Results: Children with a history of asthma or pneumonia and adults who live in inadequate housing, cook with wood, smoke, or have a history of pneumonia or hypertension are more likely to have symptoms of respiratory disease. In this study, the concentration of particulate matter and proximity to the mining operation do not have a significant influence on this probability; however, this may be due to the remoteness of some air quality monitoring stations from homes and other sources of contamination in the area. Conclusions: In addition to outdoor air pollution, other factors are associated with respiratory symptoms in the population living near the open cast coal mine. Indoor air pollution, physical characteristics of the dwellings, lifestyles, and having a history of disease increase the risk of respiratory symptoms. For future studies, we recommend having air quality monitoring stations as close as possible to the homes, identifying other potential sources of contamination in the area, and carrying out objective medical evaluations of the respiratory health conditions of the population.
- Jeannette Liliana Amaya Lara
- Jesús Rodríguez García
- Rolando Enrique Peñaloza Quintero
- Marino Mauricio Mejía Rocha
- Camila Solorzano Barrera