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. 2012 Sep 14:11:64.
doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-11-64.

Risk assessment of PM(2.5) to child residents in Brazilian Amazon region with biofuel production

Beatriz Fátima Alves de Oliveira  1 , Eliane Ignotti, Paulo Artaxo, Paulo Hilário do Nascimento Saldiva, Washington Leite Junger, Sandra Hacon
Affiliations

Risk assessment of PM(2.5) to child residents in Brazilian Amazon region with biofuel production

Beatriz Fátima Alves de Oliveira et al. Environ Health. .

Abstract

Background: Exposure to fine fractions of particulate matter (PM(2.5)) 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 PM(2.5) from biomass burning in children and adolescents between the age of 6 and 14 in Tangará da Serra, a municipality of Subequatorial Brazilian Amazon.

Methods: Risk assessment methodology was applied to estimate the risk quotient in two scenarios of exposure according to local seasonality. The potential dose of PM(2.5) was estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation, stratifying the population by age, gender, asthma and Body Mass Index (BMI).

Results: Male 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 PM(2.5) 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 PM(2.5) of 2.07 μg/kg.day (95% CI: 1.85 - 2 .30).

Conclusions: Children and adolescents living in the Subequatorial Brazilian Amazon region were exposed to high levels of PM(2.5) 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 PM(2.5) air pollution above the recommended limits to human health.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographic region of Tangará da Serra and the other municipalities with the sugarcane plantations. Suequatorial Brazilian Amazon, 2008.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Probability distribution of the toxicological risk to PM2.5for children during the dry and rainy scenario. Subequatorial Brazilian Amazon, 2008.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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