Oil exploitation in the Amazon basin of Ecuador: a public health emergency

Oil exploitation in the Amazon basin of Ecuador: a public health emergency.

Oil is a major source of income for Ecuador and since the 1970s has been the " engine " of the nation's economy. Before the 1970s oil price boom, Ecuador was one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Since then, oil production has been the primary cause of Ecuador's economic growth, which has averaged 7% annually. Per capita income rose from US$ 290 in 1972 to US$ 1 200 in 2000. Today, oil...

Oil Exploitation and Health in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador

Oil is a major source of income for Ecuador and since the 1970s has been the engine of the economy. The 1970s oil price boom lifted Ecuador’s economy formerly one of the poorest in Latin Americaby an average of 7% annually, with per capita income rising from 290 USD in 1972 to 1,200 USD in 2000. Today, oil continues to account for 40% of the nation export earnings and government budget. Most of...

Epidemiology vs epidemiology: the case of oil exploitation in the Amazon basin of Ecuador.

Exposures and cancer incidence near oil fields in the Amazon basin of Ecuador.

OBJECTIVES To examine environmental exposure and incidence and mortality of cancer in the village of San Carlos surrounded by oil fields in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. METHODS Water samples of the local streams were analyzed for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). A preliminary list of potential cancer cases from 1989 to 1998 was prepared. Cases were compared with expected numbers of cancer...

Epidemiology of malaria in the Amazon basin of Ecuador.

Malaria is reemerging in most endemic countries of South America. In Ecuador, malaria is endemic on the Pacific coast, in the inter-Andean valleys, and in the Amazon River basin. In the Lower-Napo region of northeastern Ecuador, malaria was considered eliminated in the 1970s, but the disease has reemerged in recent years. Three organizations are involved in malaria-related work in the area, but...