Environmental pollution, climate variability and climate change: a review of health impacts on the peruvian population

Authors

  • Gustavo F. Gonzales Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura. Lima, Perú. Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Lima, Perú. Academia Nacional de Ciencias. Lima, Perú. Doctor en Ciencias y doctor en Medicina
  • Alisson Zevallos Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Lima, Perú. estudiante de Biología
  • Cynthia Gonzales-Castañeda Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura. Lima, Perú. Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Lima, Perú. Philosophal Doctor
  • Denisse Nuñez Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Lima, Perú. estudiante de Biología
  • Carmen Gastañaga Instituto Nacional de Salud. Lima, Perú. médico cirujano
  • César Cabezas Instituto Nacional de Salud. Lima, Perú. médico infectólogo
  • Luke Naeher University of Georgia. Georgia, EE. UU. Philosophal Doctor
  • Karen Levy University of Emory. Georgia. EE. UU. Philosophal Doctor
  • Kyle Steenlan University of Emory. Georgia. EE. UU. Philosophal Doctor

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2014.313.94

Keywords:

Water pollution, Air pollution, Climate change

Abstract

This article is a review of the pollution of water, air and the effect of climate change on the health of the Peruvian population. A major air pollutant is particulate matter less than 2.5 μ (PM 2.5). In Lima, 2,300 premature deaths annually are attributable to this pollutant. Another problem is household air pollution by using stoves burning biomass fuels, where excessive indoor exposure to PM 2.5 inside the household is responsible for approximately 3,000 annual premature deaths among adults, with another unknown number of deaths among children due to respiratory infections. Water pollution is caused by sewage discharges into rivers, minerals (arsenic) from various sources, and failure of water treatment plants. In Peru, climate change may impact the frequency and severity of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which has been associated with an increase in cases of diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue. Climate change increases the temperature and can extend the areas affected by vector-borne diseases, have impact on the availability of water and contamination of the air. In conclusion, Peru is going through a transition of environmental risk factors, where traditional and modern risks coexist and infectious and chronic problems remain, some of which are associated with problems of pollution of water and air.

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Published

2014-09-25

Issue

Section

Review

How to Cite

1.
Gonzales GF, Zevallos A, Gonzales-Castañeda C, Nuñez D, Gastañaga C, Cabezas C, et al. Environmental pollution, climate variability and climate change: a review of health impacts on the peruvian population. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica [Internet]. 2014 Sep. 25 [cited 2024 Dec. 9];31(3). Available from: https://rpmesp.ins.gob.pe/index.php/rpmesp/article/view/94

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