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Air Pollution, Lung Function, and Physical Symptoms in Communities Near Concentrated Swine Feeding Operations
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Air Pollution, Lung Function, and Physical Symptoms in Communities Near Concentrated Swine Feeding Operations

Leah Schinasi, Rachel Avery Horton, Virginia T. Guidry, Steve Wing, Stephen W. Marshall and Kimberly B. Morland
Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), v 22(2), pp 208-215
01 Mar 2011
PMID: 21228696
url
https://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2011/03000/Air_Pollution,_Lung_Function,_and_Physical.11.aspxView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Science & Technology
Background: Concentrated animal feeding operations emit air pollutants that may affect health. We examined associations of reported hog odor and of monitored air pollutants with physical symptoms and lung function in people living within 1.5 miles of hog operations. Methods: Between September 2003 and September 2005, we measured hydrogen sulfide (H2S), endotoxin, and particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, and PM2.5-10) for approximately 2-week periods in each of 16 eastern North Carolina communities. During the same time periods, 101 adults sat outside their homes twice a day for 10 minutes, reported hog odor and physical symptoms, and measured their lung function. Conditional fixed-effects logistic and linear regression models were used to derive estimates of associations. Results: The log odds (+/- 1 standard error) of acute eye irritation following 10 minutes outdoors increased by 0.53 (+/- 0.06) for every unit increase in odor, by 0.15 (+/- 0.06) per 1 ppb of H2S, and by 0.36 (+/- 0.11) per 10 mu g/m(3) of PM 10. Odor and H 2 S were also associated with irritation and respiratory symptoms in the previous 12 hours. The log odds of difficulty breathing increased by 0.50 (+/- 0.15) per unit of odor. A 10 mu g/m(3) increase in mean 12-hour PM 2.5 was associated with increased log odds of wheezing (0.84 +/- 0.29) and declines in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (-0.04 +/- 0.02 L). A 10 EU/mg increase in endotoxin was associated with increased log odds of sore throat (0.10 +/- 0.05), chest tightness (0.09 +/- 0.04), and nausea (0.10 +/- 0.05). Conclusions: Pollutants measured near hog operations are related to acute physical symptoms in a longitudinal study using analyses that preclude confounding by time-invariant characteristics of individuals.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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