Population, environment and health: pollution in water bodies in the Southof Sonora.

Objective. To contribute to the knowledge on the impact of human productive activities on the environment, human health, and the survival of animal sp ecies. Material and Methods. A study case of water bodies in the south of S onora was conducted in 1996. The software Decision Support System for Indus trial Pollution Control DSS-IPC (IPC)IPC developed by the World Bank and th e Pan American Health Organization was used to analyze data. Results. At le ast three factors have contributed to the loss of fish and shrimp hatcherie s in the municipality of Huatabampo: the filtration of fertilizers and pest icides into the irrigation drainage system, blockage produced by the contin uous disposal of industrial waste water, and the discharge of sewer water i nto the drainage system. Conclusions. Study findings provide evidence that environmental deterioration resulting from human activity is decimating the population of fish and shrimp in the area. The English version of this pap er is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.