80 out of every 100 women who are treated at the Respiratory Diseases Clinic of the Regional High Specialty Hospital, in Yucatan, present complications, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or some type of cancer.
The cause, according to specialist Arturo Cortés Téllez, is that these women live in rural areas where they cook with firewood and have been constantly exposed to smoke for 10 years or more.
“We had World COPD Day, where we performed lung function screenings with bronchodilators, which documented the existence of a problem in the respiratory tract, confirming the presence of symptoms and disease risk factors” he explained.
Women are exposed to smoke for at least three hours a day, which increases the risk of chronic respiratory tract disorders; However, what worries hospital specialists the most are “especially women who live in rural communities, who may suffer from some type of cancer.”
Also in males
The specialist clarified that they are not exclusive diseases of women, since men are also prone to acquire them by other means, such as tobacco use.
“Usually in men it was more common for us to have tobacco, but it is also true that today, according to the world health, nutrition and addiction organizations, women smoke more and this would be another cause”.
He explained that men begin to expose themselves much earlier, occurring mostly in suburban and rural areas, where they work with biofuels to prepare food at home or, possibly, in cold times they use them to keep warm at home. .
other consequences
The inhalation of fumes or vapors that come from fuels such as gasoline, diesel, oil, or coal, whether in domestic or work activities, could cause diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, or particles, which could lead to some type of cancer.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), the indigenous population in Yucatan is 983,257 people in total, of these 491,143 are women.
