1. Pueblo of Taos Trends in National Air Quality and Public Health National Tribal Forum Las Vegas, NV June 3, 2008

2. Taos Pueblo Located in north central New Mexico at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at an elevation of 7,600 ft.

3. Lived in communal multistory adobe houses along the banks of the Rio Pueblo for over 1,000 years. Overall population: 2,400 2,206 members who reside on the Taos Pueblo reservation. Red Willow People

4. Problem An study level of asthma diagnosis and upper respiratory infections in the Taos Pueblo community. 79 patients had their first asthma related diagnosis in 2007* The total number of patients seen in 2007 was 1,976* Incidence rate for asthmatics for calendar year 2007: 4%* *IHS Data 2007

5. Taos/Picuris IHS Visits 2003-07

11. Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections include: -rhino sinusitis (common cold), sinusitis, pharyngitis/tonsillitis, laryngitis and sometimes bronchitis. Symptoms of URTI's commonly include nasal congestion, cough, running nose, sore throat, fever, facial pressure and sneezing.common coldsinusitis pharyngitistonsillitis laryngitis bronchitis nasal congestioncough running nosesore throatfeversneezing

12. Asthma - Asthma is a disease in which inflammation of the airways causes airflow into and out of the lungs to be restricted. -The muscles of the bronchial tree become tight and the lining of the air passages swells, reducing airflow and producing the characteristic wheezing sound. -episodes of asthma can be triggered by many different factors such as allergens, dust, smoke, cold air, exercise, infections, medications, and acid reflux.

13. Bronchitis - Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, or bronchi (the air passages that extend from the windpipe into the lungs). -Bronchitis is classified as either acute or chronic. * In Acute Bronchitis, the causative agents are viruses, which is preceded by a “cold” * Chronic bronchitis is a component of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It may result from a series of attacks of acute bronchitis, or it may evolve gradually because of heavy smoking or the inhalation of air contaminated with other pollutants in the environment.

14. Pulmonary Fibrosis - "Fibrosis" is a term used to refer to scarring, so pulmonary fibrosis means scarring throughout the lungs. Pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by many conditions including chronic inflammatory processes, infections, environmental agents (asbestos, silica, exposure to certain gases), exposure to ionizing radiation (such as radiation therapy to treat tumors of the chest), chronic conditions (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis), and certain medications.

15. Contributing Factors Tourism – an estimated 90,000 visitors a year Wood smoke – a majority of community members use wood stoves to heat their homes Dirt Roads – 130 + miles of dirt roads

16. Taos Pueblo Reservation

19. 2007 Weather Data http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory

20. 2007 Weather Data http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory

21. Conclusions Conduct aggressive campaigns to educate community about environmental triggers Educate health care providers Involve tribal government Develop materials tailored to the community Find other stakeholders

22. Sources http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/Handouts/bronchitis/bronchitis.html http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19321.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_respiratory_tract_infections http://www.medicinenet.com/pulmonary_fibrosis/article.htm http://www.medicinenet.com/asthma_complexities/article.htm

23. Evelyn Martinez Environmental Specialist Taos Pueblo Environmental Office PO Box 1846 Taos, NM 87571 Phone  575-751-4601 Fax  575-751-9024 emartinez@taospueblo.com Evelyn Martinez Environmental Specialist Taos Pueblo Environmental Office PO Box 1846 Taos, NM 87571 Phone  575-751-4601 Fax  575-751-9024 emartinez@taospueblo.com