Abstract

In the last 12 years, governmental reports indicate that 1,381 people living in Ciudad Juárez, México have been intoxicated, and 167 killed by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.¹ Studies in the U.S. have identified low temperatures and small heating and cooking appliances as risk factors^2–4 but have not addressed northern Mexico. This study examines 91 incidents of carbon monoxide intoxication from October 2003 to February 2004 in Ciudad Juárez. Carbon monoxide intoxication incidents are associated with colder temperatures on both a monthly average and a daily basis. The three coldest nights, one with a minimum temperature of 13° F and two with minimum temperatures of 19° F, accounted for 22% of all the incidents. A neighborhood-level analysis suggests that households in the middle of the income spectrum are disproportionately at risk. Only 2% of households in neighborhoods with CO incidents earn less than the full-time minimum wage, compared with 3% of households in other neighborhoods. At the other end of the income scale, 14% of households in neighborhoods with CO intoxications earn more than five times the minimum wage, while 19% do so in neighborhoods without reported CO incidents.