Relationship between firewood usage and urinary Cr, Cu and As in informal areas of Cape Town

Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel; Africa, Algernon; Naidoo, Sivapregasen

Relationship between firewood usage and urinary Cr, Cu and As in informal areas of Cape Town

Journal Article

2013

Journal Title

South African Medical Journal

Link to Journal

https://dx.doi.org/10.7196/samj.6451

Department

Department of Public Health and Family Medicine

Faculty

Faculty of Health Sciences

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated whether wood usage by informal food vendors and household residents in Cape Town results in the absorption of arsenic (As), chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu) owing to release of these metals in the burning of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood. METHODS: The participants (N=78) selected included an equal number of food vendors and non-vendors from 2 informal settlements. All participants answered a questionnaire concerning exposure and were tested for urinary Cr, Cu and As, while the urine of 29 participants was also tested for toxic As (As(tox)). RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that the time spent in close proximity to the wood, as well as the quantity of wood used for cooking and for household use, was weakly positively associated with urinary levels of As, Cr and the sum of As, Cr and Cu. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides evidence that use of wood likely to contain CCA as a fuel for informal food outlets and household purposes may increase the absorption of inorganic As, Cu and Cr.