Living a short distance from intensive livestock farms may have negative health effects, especially for the respiratory system. However, there seems to be little or no significant difference between the negative health effects of factory farms and other common types of intensive livestock farming. These are the conclusions of a report published by Utrecht University’s Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) and the RIVM. The report was commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation.
The report is a preliminary study unique in the world for its scale and research structure. There are currently no hard figures for the ‘safe’ distance to intensive livestock farming, nor is it clear at which concentration of livestock farms the health effects occur.
Exposure and health
The air composition around intensive livestock farms differs from the air composition elsewhere. The researchers found a higher concentration of fine particulates that included certain microorganisms and endotoxins (substances that occur in the cell membranes of certain bacteria). They then compared the exposure to these substances and the nearby residents’ health as recorded by their general practitioner. The study found that there was no significant difference in the general heath of these subjects and that of people living in rural areas with significantly less livestock farming. However, they did find clear differences in the number of cases of certain diseases, such as Q fever, respiratory inflammation and asthma.
Respiratory diseases
Q fever is significantly more common in areas surrounding Intensive livestock farms, especially goat farms, than other areas. The areas surrounding poultry and goat farms also show significantly higher levels of respiratory inflammation than elsewhere. Remarkably, asthma, COPD, hay fever and upper respiratory tract infections are less common around intensive livestock farms than elsewhere. However, people with asthma or COPD living in areas with high concentrations of intensive livestock farming tend to have more complications or upper respiratory tract infections than others suffering from the same conditions elsewhere.
Recommendations
As little is known about the health effects of living in the vicinity of intensive livestock farms, the researchers emphasise the need for further studies, such as studies focussing on the concentrations of endotoxins and microorganisms in the air around poultry and pig farms. The same applies for the occurrence of complications in asthma- or COPD patients living near livestock farms. The researchers also recommend drawing up guidelines for safe concentrations of microorganisms and endotoxins near livestock farms and for acceptable health risk levels.
More information
Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, M.M. Veldman, (030) 253 3430, m.m.veldman@uu.nl.
Or: Wietske de Lange, Press Spokesperson Utrecht University, (030) 253 4073, w.delange@uu.nl.