Abstract

ESQUIVEL-FERRINO, Patricia Cristina; CANTU-CARDENAS, Lucía Guadalupe  and  GONZALEZ-SANTIAGO, Omar. PERCEPTION OF AIR AND WATER POLLUTION AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH CANCER RISK PERCEPTION IN A REGION WITH HIGH CANCER MORTALITY IN MEXICO. AN EXPLORATORY STUDY. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2018, vol.34, n.2, pp.347-353. ISSN 0188-4999.  https://doi.org/10.20937/rica.2018.34.02.14.

The environment has considerable effects on the health status and wellbeing of individuals and its perception determines judgments, decisions and behaviors that lead to actions with consequences on health. The aim of this study was to investigate the public´s perception of air and water pollution in an area with high cancer mortality. We applied a survey to an aleatory sample of inhabitants of Cuatro Ciénegas and De la Madrid in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Of the inhabitants, 5.1 % perceived both air and water as highly polluted. Also, 23.9 % have a high perception of the risk of developing cancer. Conclusions: The perception of water pollution was associated with the perception of developing cancer.

Keywords : environmental contamination; awareness; mortality; health.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )