These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: [It is imperative to stop environmental degradation].
    Author: Leff E.
    Journal: Demos; 1990; (3):25-6. PubMed ID: 12158050.
    Abstract:
    Environmental demography deals with socioenvironmental determinants of demographic processes. The fertility decline of recent years in Mexico is not associated with economic transformation, as the economic crisis, poverty, unemployment, and social inequality have been barely mitigated. Mexico is mainly urban: 51% of the population lived in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in 1990 taking an increasing toll on the environment. The metropolitan area of Mexico City has 50% of industrial production with 36,000 industrial plants, 2100 of all 5400 chemical plants, 22% of total population, and 25% of economically active population. There are 3 million cars. 11,000 tons of solid waste is generated daily (75% domestic and 25% industrial), and 5 million tons of contaminants are emitted annually. Sulphur, dioxide, nitrogen, ozone, and suspended particulate levels often exceed international standards. In the federal district more than 1000 squatter colonies are without drainage that affects 5 million people; and 30% of the population is without a sewage network. There are 35 cities with over 100,000 population that cannot meet their needs of drinking water with the result of a high level of gastrointestinal ailments, enteritis, diarrhea, rabies, and dengue fever caused by pathogenic microorganisms, the major cause of mortality. The degradation of the environment produces a pathological environmental emergency from chemical contamination of the air and from exposure to industrial emissions, to agrochemical products and toxic substances, to lead, insecticides, arsenic, and asbestos. Mexico has one of the highest levels of lead in the blood and DDT in mother's milk. In Mexico City lead concentration of 5 mg/cubic meter in the air, 20 mg/100 ml in maternal blood, and 13 mg/100 ml in the umbilical cord was detected associated with retardation of mental development in the 1st year of life and chronic lead poisoning.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]