Odour annoyance and physical symptoms among residents living near waste treatment centres

Exposures and Health Outcomes in Relation to Bioaerosol Emissions From Composting Facilities: A Systematic Review of Occupational and Community Studies

“…The community-based health effect studies provided limited evidence of increased exposure levels at distances greater than 200 m to 300 m. The zone widths (1.5 km) in Aatamila et al (2011) were most likely too large for this type of stratification, and distance zones in the study were not consistently associated with the observed symptoms (although symptoms were with reported odor annoyance).…”

“…Three studies used questionnaires to assess symptoms, one in Finland (Aatamila et al, 2011) and two in Germany (Herr et al, 2003a(Herr et al, , 2003b, also assessing odor (Aatamila et al, 2011;Herr et al, 2003aHerr et al, , 2003b and bioaerosol concentrations (Herr et al, 2003a(Herr et al, , 2003b. A fourth study in the United States used daily symptom diaries (Browne et al, 2001) in relation to Aspergillus fumigatus spore counts, comparing residents (oversampling those with allergic rhinitis and asthma) near a composting facility with those from a reference area.…”

Respiratory hospital admission risk near large composting facilities

“…Three questionnaire-based community health studies reported increases in respiratory symptoms in those living nearer to composting sites (Aatamila et al 2011;Herr et al 2003a;2003b). Aatamila et al (2011) compared residents living within 1500m to those living within 3000-5000m, Herr et al(2003a) looked at residents in three distance bands, 150-200m, >200-400m and >400-500m, and Herr et al (2003b) examined residents living within 150-1500m of a composting facility. There was limited evidence of increased exposure levels at distances greater than 200-300m in these studies.…”

“…Previous community studies have reported minor respiratory health problems (such as coughs, bronchitis etc.) which may not necessarily warrant hospital admission in residents living near composting facilities (Aatamila et al, 2011, Herr et al, 2003a2003b;Pearson et al 2015). The use of primary care data would have allowed us to better investigate more subtle health effects, but these data are currently not available in England at a national level.…”

Impact of a Sewage Treatment Plant on Health of Local Residents: Gastrointestinal System Symptoms

“…Pollutants can get into the gastrointestinal tract, initiating inflammatory reactions (e.g., Gram-negative bacteria, staphylococci, and endotoxins) and consequently causing disturbances such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain [5]. Depending on individual susceptibility, odours may also cause gastrointestinal disorders, as evidenced, for example, by the studies of Aatamila et al [6] (people with high olfactory sensitivity reported diarrhea more often than the other respondents). The impact of odours on the occurrence of gastrointestinal disorders remains a contentious issue because the underlying mechanisms behind such symptoms are not fully understood [7].…”