Air Pollution In Mexico City Research Articles

Air pollution and respiratory health in Mexico City.

To determine the effect of air pollution in Mexico City on respiratory health, patient visits for upper respiratory tract infections were monitored in five clinics. Levels of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide, and climatological variables were collected. Correlations of filtered data revealed an association between NO2 and O3 with an increase in visits to clinics because of respiratory problems. Autoregressive analysis indicated that pollutant levels/respiratory visits associations remained significant even after simultaneous inclusion of temperature, suggesting that air pollution was associated with 10 to 16% of the clinic visits. The relative risk indicated that high levels of O3 and NO2 could increase the total number of clinic visits to between 19 and 43% above average. The other pollutants and the control group did not demonstrate significant associations.

DNA damage in leukocytes and buccal and nasal epithelial cells of individuals exposed to air pollution in Mexico City

There is an increased interest in using biological markers to monitor individuals for possible exposure to environmental toxicants. Test systems which permit the sensitive detection of DNA damage and DNA repair are critically important in such studies. The single cell gel electrophoresis (SCG) assay is a rapid and a sensitive method for the evaluation of DNA damage at the single cell level, providing information on the occurrence of DNA single-strand breaks and alkali labile sites using alkaline conditions. In this study, the differences in the basal level of DNA damage between young adults from the south (exposed principally to high levels of ozone) and young adults from the north (exposed principally to hydrocarbons and particles) of Mexico City were investigated by the SCG assay using three different cell types (leukocytes and nasal and buccal epithelial cells). We found an increased DNA migration in blood leukocytes and nasal cells from individuals who live in the southern part of the city compared to those living in the northern part; however, no differences were observed for buccal epithelial cells. These results show the feasability of using the SCG assay to evaluate DNA damage in different tissues and its great potential for use in the monitoring of humans potentially exposed to genotoxic pollutants. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 30:147–152, 1997 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

DNA damage in leukocytes and buccal and nasal epithelial cells of individuals exposed to air pollution in Mexico City

There is an increased interest in using biological markers to monitor individuals for possible exposure to environmental toxicants. Test systems which permit the sensitive detection of DNA damage and DNA repair are critically important in such studies. The single cell gel electrophoresis (SCG) assay is a rapid and a sensitive method for the evaluation of DNA damage at the single cell level, providing information on the occurrence of DNA single-strand breaks and alkali labile sites using alkaline conditions. In this study, the differences in the basal level of DNA damage between young adults from the south (exposed principally to high levels of ozone) and young adults from the north (exposed principally to hydrocarbons and particles) of Mexico City were investigated by the SCG assay using three different cell types (leukocytes and nasal and buccal epithelial cells). We found an increased DNA migration in blood leukocytes and nasal cells from individuals who live in the southern part of the city compared to those living in the northern part; however, no differences were observed for buccal epithelial cells. These results show the feasability of using the SCG assay to evaluate DNA damage in different tissues and its great potential for use in the monitoring of humans potentially exposed to genotoxic pollutants.

Uncontrolled air pollution in Mexico City

This document analyzes the environmental problems and the information available on air pollution levels in Mexico City, their sources, their impact on the health of the population and the policies aimed at reducing them. The author warns that ecological deterioration will occur in the valleys adjacent to the Valley of Mexico, just as it has there, unless strict policies are established to prevent it. The analysis begins in 1986, when pollution levels began to be measured systematically, and ends in 1994, although some forecasts concerning urban expansion up to the year 2010 are presented.

New source of smog detected in Mexico City

Vehicle exhausts and industrial emissions are generally thought of as the principal sources of hydrocarbons that produce smog in urban areas. But in Mexico City—where smog regularly reaches dangerous levels—another, unexpected source appears to be just as important. Donald R. Blake, a research chemist at the University of California, Irvine, told a symposium sponsored by the Division of Environmental Chemistry that hydrocarbons from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) account for one-third to one-half the total hydrocarbons in Mexico City air. This finding, a result of five years of research, has important implications for efforts to control air pollution in Mexico City and other cities where LPG is an important fuel for home heating and cooking. Blake, who works with UC Irvine chemistry professor F. Sherwood Rowland, says that he and his coworkers collected about 100 air samples from across Mexico City in different seasons. The Irvine team used gas chromatography to analyze hydrocarbons in the samples. ...

Attacking Air Pollution in Mexico City

Attacking Air Pollution in Mexico City

The motor vehicle dominated city as a non-sustainable urban form: Mexico City and Jakarta

Developing countries are rapidly urbanizing with some of their cities burgeoning into the largest urban centers on earth. These cities, with some exceptions, are adopting transportation systems dominated by motor vehicles. A computer simulation analysis of the growth of population, transportation, and associated energy use and air pollution in Mexico City and Jakarta demonstrates an evolution towards non-sustainable futures. Emerging land use patterns will lock these cities into non-sustainable urban forms. The implications of these developments and policy options to create sustainable futures are considered.