Occupational health hazards associated with agricultural exposures have been documented but public health risks associated with dairy pollution is largely unknown. This study evaluated the association of residential proximity from a dairy farm with respiratory and gastrointestinal illness among children aged 1-17 years. Study participants were recruited from health-care clinics located in a low-income area dense with dairy herds on the U.S.-Mexico border. A semi-supervised self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the subject's parent/guardian to ascertain location of the home, child and maternal demographics, and household characteristics. Residential distance from a dairy was measured using GIS technology. Health outcomes were based on ICD-9 codes. Multivariate analysis showed no relationship between respiratory diagnosis and living near a dairy. After adjustment for relevant covariates, each one-kilometer increase in residential distance from a dairy was associated with a 20% risk reduction for GI diagnosis. The odds of respiratory illness significantly increased with rodents in the home and decreased with maternal education and child's age. Paved roads and no screens on windows each were significantly associated with GI illness while increasing child age showed a protective effect. These findings support recent studies showing that children exposed to a farm environment may be less prone to respiratory problems than children who live in non-farming surroundings and suggest that xenobiotics discharged from dairy operations may pose a GI health threat to children living in nearby communities. Future studies that more precisely estimate exposure to dairy contaminants and health outcomes are needed to clarify the observed relationships.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Children and Adolescents, Environmental Exposures
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.