Respiratory and physical health consequences in older adults in a high-risk volcanic area: Comparison of two rural villages

Volcanism is an important natural producer of pollution that impacts health and the quality of the environment. Lung changes caused by exposure to volcanoes have been previously studied. However, limited information exists regarding the effects of prolonged exposure to volcanic compounds. So, this s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2024-09, Vol.19 (9), p.e0310659
Main Authors: Benavides-Cordoba, Vicente, Suarez, Andres, Guerrero-Jaramillo, Diana, Silva-Medina, Melissa, Betancourt-Peña, Jhonatan, Palacios-Gómez, Mauricio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biology and Life Sciences
Chronic exposure
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Colombia
Cross-Sectional Studies
Cultural characteristics
Dyspnea
Earth Sciences
Emergency medical care
Environmental aspects
Environmental Exposure - adverse effects
Exposure
Female
Geological hazards
Health aspects
Humans
Inhabitants
Investigations
Lung diseases
Male
Medicine and Health Sciences
Middle Aged
Older people
Outdoor air quality
Physical fitness
Physical Sciences
Pollution
Prevention
Research and Analysis Methods
Risk factors
Rural areas
Rural environments
Rural health services
Rural Population
Sea level
Socioeconomic factors
Spirometry
Towns
Villages
Volcanic activity
Volcanic ash
Volcanic Eruptions - adverse effects
Volcanoes
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Summary:Volcanism is an important natural producer of pollution that impacts health and the quality of the environment. Lung changes caused by exposure to volcanoes have been previously studied. However, limited information exists regarding the effects of prolonged exposure to volcanic compounds. So, this study aimed to analyze the pulmonary effects and stress tolerance in older adults for chronic exposure to the volcanic ashes of the Galeras volcano. A descriptive cross-sectional study of association included rural inhabitants aged over 60 years from Genoy, a village located in a high volcanic hazard zone of Galeras volcano, 2603 meters above sea level. Those in this group, called exposed, were contrasted with a sample of El Encano inhabitants with similar socioeconomic and cultural characteristics. Both villages belong to the rural area of San Juan de Pasto in Colombia. It was found that of 31 exposed participants, 18 had obstructive alteration, and in the control group, it was found that of 31 subjects, 6 presented this alteration. The difference between the two groups was significant (p
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0310659