Objective:

To document the toast production system and the perception of symptoms of damage to their health derived from exposure to wood smoke among the female population of the rural community of San José Cerro Gordo, municipality of Santa María Tonameca, Oaxaca.

Methodology:

The study was cross-sectional and descriptive, through a survey sociodemographic data, characteristics of the kitchen and stove, the making of toast and symptoms of damage to health from exposure to wood smoke were captured.

Results:

80 women were interviewed, relatively young (40.13±16.02 years) and in reproductive age, 100 % use the open stove, exposing themselves to smoke for 5.9±2.5 hours daily. This activity has been carried out for 11.9±6.5 years. 81.3 % of them presented up to ten symptoms related to smoke poisoning, highlighting conditions in the respiratory system.

Limitations:

No clinical studies were conducted due to financial difficulties of the project.

Conclusions:

Making toast is an activity that will continue to be maintained as a subsistence strategy in the studied locality, so the health of the women involved will continue to be at risk. It is necessary to promote comprehensive strategies that combine the promotion of ecotechnologies with training in health and economic development, which help reduce exposure to wood smoke and promote better health conditions and marketing of toast. Finally, it is convenient to continue monitoring the health of the study population, in order to identify possible cases that warrant timely medical attention.