Asthma and factory emissions in northern England: addressing public concern by combining geographical and epidemiological methods.

Abstract

and 1 km to the north east ofthe factory. Conclusions -The value of combining the skills of geographers and epidemiologists in addressing public health issues is shown, particularly through the use ofgeographical information systems which proved powerful and effective. (J Epidemiol Community Health 1995;49:395-400) Interest in the effects on health of airborne pollution, particularly from point sources, has increased recently. The Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) has a specific role in investigating these problems.' There remains, however, a challenge to develop both the methodology and information systems for solving this type of problem. We illustrate the benefits ofcombining geographical information systems (GIS) technology with epidemiological concepts. We examined the respiratory health status of a population living near a single industrial point source, a factory which has been in operation since 1974 and which produces plastic coated wallpaper. Residents living near the factory had expressed concern about airborne emissions, especially in terms of unpleasant smells and the potential risk of cancer. Vapours which are emitted from the factory's chimneys and which drift across nearby housing estates initiated the local concern. Fume scrubbing apparatus was installed in 1989 to reduce emissions. A substance used in the factory processes, azodicarbonamide, is a recognised causal agent in the development of occupational asthma.23Our null hypothesis was that after suitable standardisation no excess prevalence of asthma would be found in either children or adults in the area of the housing estate closest to the factory when compared with surrounding areas.

Untitled

“…Examples of health outcomes and epidemiology applications using GIS include research carried in the UK at the West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit and the Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) [10], and also the work published by Dunn et al in which they have examined the association between asthma incidence and proximity to industrial sites in North East England and suggested relationships with prevailing wind patterns [29].…”

Validity and interpretation of mortality, health service and survey data on COPD and asthma in England

“…If inconsistency remains, the appropriateness of using these data sources needs to be carefully established with the purpose of the study in mind. For example, prescriptions made by general practitioners for asthma were used in an investigation of factory emissions [31] as a proxy for the underlying prevalence but this might be better assessed by survey data. Similarly, hospital admissions for asthma in England are of limited value as an indicator of community prevalence [32,33] or indeed as a performance indicator for the quality of primary care as has been proposed [22].…”

Using GIS to Model Incidence, Prevalence and Spread of Non‐legal Drug Use

“…Jones and Bentham 1995, Love and Lindquist 1995, Lovett et al 1998, Field 2000; for disease mapping and epidemiological research (e.g. Andes and Davis 1995, Hightower and Klein 1995, WHO 1997, Becker et al 1998; and in the area of environmental health and epidemiology (Briggs and Elliott 1995;Dunn et al 1995;Elliott and Briggs 1998;Briggs and Field 2000a, b). Currently, few attempts have been made to explore the area of drug use using GIS.…”