Assessing the distribution of volatile organic compounds using land use regression in Sarnia, "Chemical Valley", Ontario, Canada

Atari, Dominic Odwa; Luginaah, Isaac

doi:10.1186/1476-069x-8-16

Cited by 22 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Detailed descriptions of these approaches are found elsewhere [32–34]. In brief, the qualitative study examined Sarnia residents’ daily lived experiences, perceptions of and responses to living within a government labelled “Area of Concern” (AOC).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Odour Annoyance Scores and Modelled Ambient Air Pollution in Sarnia, “Chemical Valley”, Ontario

Atari

Luginaah

Fung

2009

IJERPH

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This study aimed at establishing the relationship between annoyance scores and modelled air pollution in “Chemical Valley”, Sarnia, Ontario (Canada). Annoyance scores were taken from a community health survey (N = 774); and respondents’ exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) were estimated using land use regression (LUR) models. The associations were examined by univariate analysis while multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of odour annoyance. The results showed that odour annoyance was significantly correlated to modelled pollutants at the individual (NO2, r = 0.15; SO2, r = 0.13) and census tract (NO2, r = 0.56; SO2, r = 0.67) levels. The exposure-response relationships show that residents of Sarnia react to very low pollution concentrations levels even if they are within the Ontario ambient air quality criteria. The study found that exposure to high NO2 and SO2 concentrations, gender, and perception of health effects were significant determinants of individual odour annoyance reporting. The observed association between odour annoyance and modelled ambient pollution suggest that individual and census tract level annoyance scores may serve as proxies for air quality in exposed communities because they capture the within area spatial variability of pollution. However, questionnaire-based odour annoyance scores need to be validated longitudinally and across different scales if they are to be adopted for use at the national level.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Odour Annoyance Scores and Modelled Ambient Air Pollution in Sarnia, “Chemical Valley”, Ontario

Atari

Luginaah

Fung

2009

IJERPH

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“…The reserve is surrounded by 62 major industrial facilities located within 25 km, including oil refineries, chemical manufacturers (40% of Canada’s chemical industry), and manufacturers of plastics, polymers, and agricultural products. The area is known as “Chemical Valley.” Levels of air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds, are high (Atari and Luginaah 2009). In 1996, hospital admissions for women in Chemical Valley were 3.11 times the expected rates for women and 2.83 times those for men than would be expected based on other rates for Ontario.…”

Section: Aamjiwnaangmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Peoples of North America: Environmental Exposures and Reproductive Justice

Hoover

Cook²,

Plain

et al. 2012

Environ Health Perspect

155

100

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Background: Indigenous American communities face disproportionate health burdens and environmental health risks compared with the average North American population. These health impacts are issues of both environmental and reproductive justice.Objectives: In this commentary, we review five indigenous communities in various stages of environmental health research and discuss the intersection of environmental health and reproductive justice issues in these communities as well as the limitations of legal recourse.Discussion: The health disparities impacting life expectancy and reproductive capabilities in indigenous communities are due to a combination of social, economic, and environmental factors. The system of federal environmental and Indian law is insufficient to protect indigenous communities from environmental contamination. Many communities are interested in developing appropriate research partnerships in order to discern the full impact of environmental contamination and prevent further damage.Conclusions: Continued research involving collaborative partnerships among scientific researchers, community members, and health care providers is needed to determine the impacts of this contamination and to develop approaches for remediation and policy interventions.

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“…Despite this, the United States Department of Health and Human Services confirms that exposure to high concentrations of toluene over a long period of time can cause headaches, drowsiness/sleepiness, kidney damage, intensified hearing loss, central nervous system damage, neurological effects, birth defects (including teratogenic effects) and respiratory irritation (Atari and Luginaah [19]). …”

Section: Health Effects Associated With Exposure To Benzene and Toluenementioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational health risk assessment of benzene and toluene at a landfill site in Johannesburg, South Africa

Moolla

Valsamakis

Curtis

et al. 2013

Safety and Security Engineering V

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In developing countries land-filling is the most common form of waste management that is practiced. Landfills are known to be anthropogenic sources of air pollutants that have a negative impact on both environmental and human health. People who work on landfill sites are particularly at risk of adverse health effects associated with the inhalation of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although VOCs only make up between 0.5% and 1% of total landfill gas, they are important due to the high level of toxicity associated with them. Regular air quality monitoring and hazard risk assessments provide important information that can be used in an effort to protect the health and safety of people working in a landfill environment. This is especially important within a developing context as relevant information is limited. In this study an occupational health risk assessment of benzene and toluene was conducted at a landfill in Johannesburg, South Africa. Applying an approach of modelling (using LandGEM) results indicated a significant increase in emission rates over a 90 year period. In addition, ambient air concentrations of BTEX, 100 meters from the landfill, were found to be unacceptable by US EPA air quality recommended standards. Additionally, cancer risk and hazard index calculations of benzene and toluene, of employees on-site, indicated that occupational exposures were above US EPA recommended standards. Thus, it was shown that employees were significantly at risk to adverse health effects associated with inhalation exposure to these HAPs.

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Assessing the distribution of volatile organic compounds using land use regression in Sarnia, "Chemical Valley", Ontario, Canada

Cited by 22 publications

References 53 publications

The Relationship between Odour Annoyance Scores and Modelled Ambient Air Pollution in Sarnia, “Chemical Valley”, Ontario

The Relationship between Odour Annoyance Scores and Modelled Ambient Air Pollution in Sarnia, “Chemical Valley”, Ontario

Indigenous Peoples of North America: Environmental Exposures and Reproductive Justice

Occupational health risk assessment of benzene and toluene at a landfill site in Johannesburg, South Africa

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