Introduction

In this research were going to investigate what are the consequences of the
pollution caused by the municipal wastes in the health of the population. First we
need to define what municipal wastes is, municipal wastes also known as garbage
is all type of solid waste generated by households and commercial establishments.

We wanted to know how our health condition is affected by the pollution caused by
the garbage, for example; conditions like allergies or diseases are related to this
problem. We are going to focus on Mexicali, since it is known as one of the most
contaminated cities in Mexico and sometimes they said that from the world, so we
wanted to see if that was truth and from this theory see if the garbage from
Mexicali affects our health.

Mexicali has the problem of burning the trash, and in the past months the municipal
wastes center has burn over 3 times, and this a big problem since it pollutes the
atmosphere or the environment but also it hurt us and this is the problem were
investigating.

Were going to use statistics about health conditions in another cities and
compared it to Mexicali conditions. Also were going to present in this paper a
survey about what the population thinks about the relation about burning garbage
and the allergies and diseases commonly found in the areas.

Were going to base our research on real information gathered by professionals

from the city, based on private researches and government, we can compared the
information and see how the government lies to us, saying that Mexicali and the
health conditions are not 90% related. Also we are going to discuss that our
geographical location is a variable in this study.

The solutions we want to propose would be to promote education about this

problem, to make the municipal waste be recycling, separating the thinks we can
burn and we cant burn.
To make conscious about the consequences (especially in peoples health) of the
pollution in Mexicali. So this our research paper about the how the pollution caused
by the municipal waste affects the health of the Mexicali population? And its many
variables that can influence our health condition.

Our objectives are:

To make conscious about the effects of pollution in our health

To find ways to solve this
That people can help in cleaning Mexicali and that the municipal system
start doing something about it.
 Index
Coversheet....1

Index......2

Introduction...3

Body......5

Conclusion..............................................................................19

Bibliography.20
 Body
As the timeline of garbage history suggests there has been a problem of trash from
man's earliest time that cause pollution. Four basic means of dealing with trash
have been used over and over in history:

1. Dumping
2. Burning
3. Recycling
4. Waste minimization

Pollution is not a new phenomenon. In fact, pollution has been a problem since the
appearance of our earliest ancestors (Markham, 1994). Increasing human
populations have opened the door to more bacteria and disease. During the Middle
Ages, diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever broke out all across Europe.
These epidemics were directly related to unsanitary conditions caused by human
and animal wastes, and garbage.

The first municipal dump in western world was organized in Athens, Greece there
were regulations required to dump at least a mile from the city limits.

A new technology called "the Destructor" provided the first systematic incineration
of refuse in Nottingham, England.
Until this time, much of the burning was accidental; a result of methane production
but it was built in USA on Governor's Island in NY in 1885. By the turn of the
century the garbage problem was seen as one of the greatest problems for local
authorities and there were about 300 incinerators in the US for burning trash later
in 1914.

By 1968 companies began buy back recycling of containers. In 1976 Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was created emphasizing recycling and
HW management. This was the result of two major events: the oil embargo and the
discovery (or recognition) of Love Canal. In 1979 The EPA issued criteria
prohibiting open dumping.

Overall Health Effects

Many of us experience some kind of air pollution-related symptoms such as watery
eyes, coughing, or wheezing. Even for healthy people, polluted air can cause
respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities.
Your actual risk depends on your current health status, the pollutant type and
concentration, and the length of your exposure to the polluted air.

People most susceptible to severe health problems from air pollution are:

Individuals with heart disease - such as coronary artery disease or congestive

heart failure
Individuals with lung disease - such as asthma, emphysema or chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Pregnant women
Outdoor workers
Children under age 14, whose lungs are still developing
Athletes who exercise vigorously outdoors
High air pollution levels can cause immediate health problems:

Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness

Added stress to heart and lungs, which must work harder to supply the body
with oxygen
Damaged cells in the respiratory system

Long-term exposure to polluted air can have permanent health effects:

Accelerated aging of the lungs

Loss of lung capacity
Decreased lung function
Development of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and
possibly cancer
Shortened life span

Health Effects from Specific Pollutants

Ground-level Ozone

Ground-level ozone is formed when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and

oxides of nitrogen (NOx) react with the sun's ultraviolet rays. The primary source of
VOCs and NOx are cars, trucks, buses, construction equipment and agricultural
equipment.

It can cause health problems:

Aggravated respiratory disease such as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma

Damage to deep portions of the lungs, even after symptoms such as coughing
or a sore throat disappear
Wheezing, chest pain, dry throat, headache or nausea
Reduced resistance to infection
Increased fatigue
Weakened athletic performance
Particulate Matter (PM)

Particulate Matter is a complex mixture that may contain soot, smoke, metals,
nitrates, sulfates, dust, water and tire rubber. It can be directly emitted, as in smoke
from a fire, or it can from reactions of gases such as nitrogen oxides.

Scientific studies have linked long-term particle pollution, especially fine particles,
with significant health problems including:

Increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or

difficulty breathing
Decreased lung function
Aggravated asthma
Development of chronic respiratory disease in children
Development of chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive lung disease
Irregular heartbeat
Nonfatal heart attacks
Premature death in people with heart or lung disease, including death from
lung cancer

Short-term exposure to particles (hours or days) can:

Aggravate lung disease causing asthma attacks and acute bronchitis

Increase susceptibility to respiratory infections
Cause heart attacks and arrhythmias in people with heart disease

Even if you are healthy, you may experience temporary symptoms, such as:

Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat

Coughing
Chest tightness
Shortness of breath
Mexico

Mexico is faced with serious

environmental and administrative
challenges with respect to solid
waste (SW) management. Just as
in other developing countries, the
public sanitation system lacks
because of inadequate planning, as
well as unsustainable SW
management. The country is experiencing an urbanization process in which
approximately 70% of the population are concentrated in its ten largest cities; the
rest are spread throughout 200 000 towns in Mexico's 2 000 000 km2. This has
caused a change in the population's consumption patterns, which has resulted in a
more heterogeneous composition of SW and an increase in its generation rate.

The current situation of the SW management systems in Mexico is analyzed, and

the environmental, technical, administrative, economic and social goals with which
Mexico's public sanitation systems face, are discussed. The principal goal facing
these public sanitation systems is the development of adequate disposal of SW,
since the municipalities find themselves unable to administer sanitary landfills
according to Mexican legislation because they lack financial means and the
technical and human infrastructure. SW collection in Mexico depends heavily on
personnel with no technical training and the separation of the waste is carried out
by an ever-increasing number of scavengers. The importance of including these
groups in the decision-making process in order to assure the success of SW
management programs is presented, along with the need to create interdisciplinary
work groups that could collaborate in driving forward the agenda.

The disposal of solid wastes has become a serious problem almost everywhere in
the world. In general the more affluent a society, the more solid waste it generates.
Technologically-advanced civilizations tend to produce many wastes that are not
biodegradable, further complicating the disposal problem. With each succeeding
decade, Mexico faces greater and more complex challenges in managing its solid
waste.

In Mexico there are collected 86,000 343 daily tons of garbage, can you imagine all
that crap? That is, 770 grams per person and are generated mainly in:

Housing
Buildings
Streets and avenues
Parks and gardens

Garbage recycling at Oaxaca City dump

In terms of weight, the vast majority of solid waste is produced by the agricultural
sector.

Fortunately most of this waste in readily biodegradable and is produced in areas of

relatively low population density. However, agricultural wastes in the form of
fertilizers and pesticides which are carried into streams and rivers have significant
impacts on water quality. Animal wastes from concentrated feed lot operations are
another major concern particularly because they are often located relatively close
to densely populated areas.

Municipal solid waste includes waste from most commercial establishments and
many small industrial operations. Mexicos urban waste exceeds 36 million tons a
year, three times the equivalent figure for Canada. Many municipalities in Mexico
have initiated recycling programs, primarily focused on aluminum, glass, certain
plastics and paper. However, in 2008 only 3.3% of Mexicos total urban waste was
recycled. Waste from larger towns and cities, about half of the total, is deposited in
properly operated sanitary landfills. Waste from smaller communities often ends up
in dumps, two thirds of which are uncontrolled.

The management (treatment or recycling) of hazardous wastes has improved

greatly in recent years, particularly in the states of Nuevo Len, Tamaulipas,
Mexico, Tabasco and the Federal District. About half of all hazardous waste
originates either in the state of Chihuahua (31% of the total) or in Mexico City
(17%).

Mexicali

Since the origination of Mexicali, Baja California this city has been an industrial
area. From its origins in the industrial revolution, Mexicali creates emissions that
have been eroded ozone layer slowly. Over the years the pollution in Mexicali has
grown to be one of the most polluted cities in the country.
Baja California is growing at a rate of 2.23 percent per year, which indicates that to
continue with this growth rate, the population could double in about 31.4 years. In
Baja California we are 3'1555,070 habitants, representing 2.81% of the population

of the country, which according to Population and housing census INEGI, are
112'322,357 habitants in Mexico.

In 2013, the UNO identified Mexicali as the most polluted city in Mexico, and third
worldwide. The classification is retained at least in part related to Mexico.

Pollutants and their effects

Ozone (O3) can irritate the respiratory system, causing coughing, throat
irritation cause and / or a feeling of tightness in the chest.
Carbon monoxide (CO) can reduce the body oxygenation (hypoxia).
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) causes irritation or chronic respiratory mucous
membranes and acute inflammation.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) can cause problems olfactory perception, respiratory
distress, acute respiratory pain and pulmonary edema.
 Lead (Pb) is particularly damaging in fetal brain development in children and
in pregnant women.
Particulate matter (PM): The particles larger than 10 microns are retained
mainly in the upper respiratory tract and eliminated mostly by the natural
cleaning system of the respiratory tract, so they are not considered
significantly harmful to health, without But continuous exposure to high
concentrations of this material can cause sore throat and mucous
membranes.

The problems faced in the city of Mexicali caused by the waste produced, are
economic and environmental nature. Among the environmental problems, is the
direct damage of soil, water and air.

The soil is affected by different issues; that are daily produced more than a
thousand tons, it causes a large land area for the containment of this waste
is necessary; not to mention the question of the cultural aspects of the
region are conducive that much of the waste generated does not end
properly in landfills, if not in vacant lots, streets, canals, or simply in places
which do not have direct care, as could be abandoned homes or
establishments
Water is mainly damaged due to improper storage of waste, since we can
find contaminated by wastes of all kinds channels, which causes the water
from these channels is of great danger to living beings that make use of this;
from animals or plants to the case to humans.
The throw to polluting waste drainage, although they are not solid, as are
those petroleum products, they also provide damage to the quality of
wastewater, which prevents proper treatment for reuse.
The air is mainly attacked by two factors; one is the application of the
method of incineration of waste to get rid of these and exposure of the
waste directly into the atmosphere.
 Burning waste is a practice currently still used by the inhabitants of the
region as a method of disposal of waste; thereby causing damage directly to
the atmosphere the gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Direct to the atmosphere, exposure is a matter in which most of the garbage
from the city is, because from the trash located in inappropriate places, such
as vacant lots or abandoned houses, even in the landfill the municipality, is
found in direct exposure to air, therefore the gases emitted by the
decomposition of this waste, pollute directly into the atmosphere.
The social aspects are also covered in the environmental field, since society
is a part of the environment in which we live.

Garbage collection:

In the state are collected on average 2,725 tons per day of municipal solid waste or
waste generated in homes, parks, gardens and public buildings, mainly
representing 3% of the national harvest.

In Tijuana, a municipality with almost half of the state population, 43% of all waste
(1,163 tons) it is collected; Mexicali collects 725 tons (27%), Ensenada 620 (22%),
Tecate and Rosarito Beach, altogether, 217 (8 percent). According to some
investigation each person produces 1 kilogram or 1 and a half kilogram per day.
Type of waste collection:

The separation of municipal solid waste from its origin is important because it
facilitates the recovery and recycling of materials, reducing consumption and
pressure on natural resources involved in its production and extending the life of
disposal sites, mainly. However, nationally only 11% of the collected waste is
separated or segregated from the generating source; while in Baja California are
not separated or segregated waste collected.

All municipalities in Baja California have the services of collection and disposal of
waste; one (Mexicali), where almost 30% of the population, treatment is given at
least a portion of their waste causing then problems with pollution.

Pollution in Mexicali:

Air Pollution 97.73 Very High

Drinking Water Pollution and 50.00 Moderate
Inaccessibility

Dissatisfaction with Garbage Disposal 69.44 High

Dirty and Untidy 83.33 Very High
Noise and Light Pollution 58.33 Moderate
Water Pollution 75.00 High
Dissatisfaction to Spend Time in the City 82.50 Very High
Dissatisfaction with Green and Parks in 88.89 Very High
the City
Purity and Cleanliness in Mexicali:

Air quality 2.27 Very Low

Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 50.00 Moderate
Garbage Disposal Satisfaction 30.56 Low
Clean and Tidy 16.67 Very Low
Quiet and No Problem with Night Lights 41.67 Moderate
Water Quality 25.00 Low
Comfortable to Spend Time in the City 17.50 Very Low
Quality of Green and Parks 11.11 Very Low

If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it
means it is perceived as very high.

Most of the pollution in Mexicali, is not produce by vehicles, but by the land where
is located the city, surrounded by desert and farmland, besides the unpaved
streets, then the huge amount of industry and commerce without any
environmental control and to top a lot of people like to burn fireworks, wood, tires
and trash. And municipal authorities are giving permits for the sale of rockets and
allowing its detonation, or said that they didnt see someone burning trash because
for them its the Mexican tradition.
We made some inquiry in the internet. These are the results:
 Conclusion

The Government's commitment to Mexicali is to ensure that the municipality

develops are in ways to strengthen sustainable overall growth in urban and rural,
by promoting strategic infrastructure and quality public services, promoting care
environment, ordering and planning Urban for the benefit of their habitants.

We believe that to put into practice what the "3 R"; we should look at the products
we buy and see if they are recyclable after a process, lower consumption of
products that take many years to degrade. People do everything possible to not
generate much garbage, and reuse things that can be, the government should do
campaigns for society to participate helping to clean the streets and bring products
that can be recycled to places where they know what to do with those materials.

Pollution in Mexicali, especially trash and waste related pollution, has become an
increasing problem for current generations, taking lots of space and money for its
recycling, one of the solutions we propose is to train and teach people to handle
wastes better. Having instructed people in how to manage wastes, what is
recyclable and what would contaminate if its incinerated will reduce the amount of
negative effects on our environment. Our second proposal is to invest in the
modernization of waste treatment process, to reduce costs of treating wastes.

Mexicali is an industrial city, but the waste treating process are not industrialized,
they are still quite rudimentary and that is what is affecting and preventing the city
to have better programs. Recycling is good, but it is not the entire solution to the
problem, we need better management, better process and better administration of
wastes and municipal dumpsters. Society needs to become aware of the problem,
and we are getting there, we also need to force industries into using ecofriendly
processes. This way we can start saving our city from what we are turning it into.

For 200 years we've been conquering Nature. Now we're beating it to death.
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