Exposures to high levels of carbon monoxide from wood-fired temazcal (steam bath) use in highland Guatemala.

Int J Occup Environ Health

Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, USA.

Published: July 2011

The temazcal is a wood-fired steam bath used in the rural highlands of Guatemala for bathing and healing. We measured carbon monoxide (CO) among 288 participants in 72 temazcales. Participants were drawn from communities who participated in the RESPIRE (Randomized Exposure Study of Pollution Indoors and Respiratory Effects) chimney stove intervention trial. Temazcal CO exposures were extremely high, averaging 431 parts per million (time-weighted average). Compared to kitchen wood-smoke exposures, the temazcal contributes significantly to weekly exposures, despite the fact that the population spends less time in the temazcal than in the kitchen. This report 1) describes temazcal use patterns; 2) reports participants' signs and symptoms during temazcal use; 3) models the distribution of temazcal CO concentrations; 4) assesses reliability of exhaled breath CO as a biomarker of CO exposure; and 5) provides a proportional analysis of CO concentrations from temazcal use, as compared to kitchen concentrations.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/107735211799030979DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

temazcal
9
carbon monoxide
8
steam bath
8
compared kitchen
8
exposures
4
exposures high
4
high levels
4
levels carbon
4
monoxide wood-fired
4
wood-fired temazcal
4

Similar Publications

This paper describes three case studies from an outpatient intercultural therapeutic program founded and run by Yaqui health professionals and traditional healers to serve members of the Yaqui tribe residing in Sonora, Mexico. This pilot therapeutic program has been designed specifically for Indigenous individuals, incorporating the ceremonial use of naturally derived psychedelics in addressing substance use disorders and other mental health issues. The program employs a community-based approach, integrating various traditional Indigenous healing practices like the sweatlodge (), medicinal plant preparations, and the ritualistic use of selected psychedelics from natural sources (such as ayahuasca, peyote, and secretions from ).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In Central America, the traditional temazcales or wood-fired steam baths, commonly used by many Native American populations, are often heated by wood fires with little ventilation, and this use results in high wood smoke exposure. Urinary mutagenicity has been previously employed as a non-invasive biomarker of human exposure to combustion emissions. This study examined the urinary mutagenicity in 19 indigenous Mayan families from the highlands of Guatemala who regularly use temazcales (N = 32), as well as control (unexposed) individuals from the same population (N = 9).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Guatemala has the third highest level of maternal mortality in Latin America. Postpartum haemorrhage is the main cause of maternal mortality. In rural Guatemala, most women rely on Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) during labour, delivery, and the postpartum period.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The use of wood-fired steam baths, or temazcales, is a potentially dangerous source of CO exposure in Guatemalan Highland communities where adults and children use them regularly for bathing, relaxation, and healing purposes. Physical characteristics of children predispose them to absorb CO faster than adults, placing them at greater exposure and health risks. Efforts to quantify temazcal exposures across all age groups, however, have been hampered by the limitations in exposure measurement methods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The temazcal is a wood-fired steam bath used in the rural highlands of Guatemala for bathing and healing. We measured carbon monoxide (CO) among 288 participants in 72 temazcales. Participants were drawn from communities who participated in the RESPIRE (Randomized Exposure Study of Pollution Indoors and Respiratory Effects) chimney stove intervention trial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!