Is it feasible to construct a community profile of exposure to industrial air pollution?

Abstract

Objective-An epidemiological investigation to assess the validity of residential proximity to industry as a measure of community exposure. Methods-19Housing estates in Teesside (population 1991: 77 330) in north east England were grouped into zones: A=near; B=intermediate; C=further from industry. With residential proximity of socioeconomically matched populations as a starting point a historical land use survey, historical air quality reports, air quality monitoring, dispersion modelling data, and questionnaire data, were examined. Results-The populations in zones A, B, and C were similar for socioeconomic indicators and smoking history. Areas currently closest to industry had also been closest for most of the 20th century. Historical reports highlighted the influence of industrial emissions to local air quality, but it was diYcult to follow spatial pollution patterns over time. Whereas contemporary NO x and benzene concentrations showed no geographical variation, dispersion modelling of emissions (116 industrial stacks, traYc, and domestic sources) showed a gradient associated with industry. The presumed exposure gradient of areas by proximity to industry (A>B>C) was evident for all of zone A and most of zones B and C. Conclusions-It was feasible to assemble a picture of community exposure by integration of measurements from diVerent sources. Proximity of residence was a reasonable surrogate for complex community exposure. (Occup Environ Med 2000;57:542-549) Keywords: exposure assessment; community exposure; industrial pollutionIn environmental epidemiology studies the assessment of exposure of a population remains both an on going area of concern when interpreting results and a major methodological challenge at the design stage. This is especially the case for retrospective exposure assessment: gaps in the spatial and temporal coverage, the relative crudity of past measurement techniques, and changes in techniques are among the many problems; and exposure assessment has therefore been earmarked as an area of future research. To analyse the associations between exposure to industrial air pollution and the health of residents living close to industries a comprehensive picture of past and contemporary exposure is required. However, to characterise air pollution and its variability in time and space, necessitates reliance largely on data collected for diVerent purposes-for example, to fulfil statutory obligations. In the end, a judgement has to be made on how far the chosen exposure measures are likely to reflect the exposure of the population.Based on the study of detailed accounts of the validity and reliability of exposure measurements and a systematic analysis of diVerential misclassification of exposure, 2-6 the criteria we used to make judgements on whether the exposure surrogate residential proximity to industry was valid were: (a) Have we been able to characterise the temporal and spatial pattern of exposure in our study areas? (b) Have we been able to disentangle industrial sources from other ...

Does living near heavy industry cause lung cancer in women? A case-control study using life grid interviews

“…This was guided by a validation study using data from historical records, current or recent routine monitoring data, and air quality surveys carried out for the Teesside Environment Epidemiological Study. 6 Zone A was close to (,5 km) current and historical locations of heavy industry. It encompassed an area close to the river Tees in central and east Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, the chemical plant complexes at Billingham, Seal Sands and Wilton, and the iron and steel works at Lackenby and Dormanstown.…”

“…We defined exposure zones with reference to a historical review of exposure by place over time from a variety of data sources. 6 Detailed life course data were collected on all main potential confounding factors including smoking. Adjustment for potential confounding factors should therefore be less susceptible to measurement imprecision causing non-differential misclassification and hence the possibility of observed associations being attributable to residual confounding.…”

“…Houses for the workforce were built as close as possible to the industrial sites, 2 leading to long standing concerns about the effects of industrial air pollution on health. [3][4][5][6] Local ecological studies in the 1960s and 1970s partially supported the hypothesis that industrial air pollution contributed to the causation of lung cancer on Teesside by finding higher lung cancer mortality in urban areas than rural areas. 7 8 However, exposure to air pollution and living close to heavy industry was poorly characterised-for example, exposure status was defined only by place of residence at time of death.…”

Relationship of Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA) study: study design, methods and quality assurance/control results

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Air pollution impact assessment on agroecosystem and human health characterisation in the area surrounding the industrial settlement of Milazzo (Italy): a multidisciplinary approach

“…Air quality may be assessed by physico-chemical measures of pollutants, by biological monitoring and/or by mathematical models applied to emissions sources (Pless-Mulloli et al 2000;Williams and Ogston 2002;Cetin et al 2003). Chemical analysis by means of passive samplers and/or automative gauges measure the emissions of pollutants into the environment but provide little information on the toxicological activity of the contaminants.…”