Firewood in Quintana Roo Tied to Lung Cancer

Cancún, Mexico — Lung cancer in Mexico is not an illness exclusive to smokers, and in southern states like Quintana Roo, environmental factors such as the use of firewood for cooking are emerging as a crucial risk factor. This is due to the fact that five out of every ten cases are not associated with tobacco consumption, according to Luis Antonio Lara Mejía, coordinator of the Pharmacological Research Center of the National Institute of Cancerology (INCAN).

The expert stated that the epidemiology of the disease varies drastically by region. While in the North and Central parts of the country, lung cancer is mostly associated with smoking, in the South and Southeast, a predominantly non-smoking population affected by the illness is observed.

In southeastern Mexico, where the smoking habit is less common, the increase in lung cancer cases is linked to environmental factors, such as the use of firewood and charcoal as a primary energy source for cooking.

“In the south of the country, the use of firewood for combustion to prepare their daily meals has been observed, and this evidently leads to a greater propensity for lung cancer, not associated with smoking and which is related to these alterations at the genetic level,” he explained.

Lara Mejía highlighted the possible relationship with the use of firewood for the daily preparation of food, a common practice in rural communities in this state, as well as in Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Campeche, where exposure to wood smoke becomes a chronic and high-impact respiratory risk.

According to the INCAN, the national trend is that four or five out of every ten patients (40-50%) have lung cancer not associated with tobacco consumption.

He explained that wood smoke, being a constant pollutant in enclosed spaces, is generating a greater proportion of lung cancer that presents identifiable alterations at the genetic level, such as EGFR lung cancer.

Data from the 2020 Population and Housing Census by INEGI and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) reveal a deep connection with this ancestral practice, while also underscoring challenges in health and environmental matters. In Quintana Roo, 62,193 households use firewood or charcoal for cooking, representing approximately 10.8% of the total homes in the state.

The state has 2,176 rural communities, defined by INEGI as those with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants. It is in these localities where the use of firewood for food preparation is a constant in daily life.