Human Impairment From Living Near Confined Animal (Hog) Feeding Operations (CAFO’S)
Research Article published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/aip/565690/)
HUMAN IMPAIRMENT FROM LIVING NEAR CONFINED ANIMAL (HOG) FEEDING OPERATIONS (CAFO’S)
Kaye H. Kilburn, M.D.
Ralph Edgington Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Southern California
Keck School of Medicine (ret.)
President- Neuro-test Inc.
ABSTRACT
Problem To determine whether neighbors around manure lagoons and massive hog confinement buildings who complained of offensive odors and symptoms had impaired brain and lung function.
Method We compared near hog manure neighbors of lagoons to people living beyond 3 kilometers in Ohio and to unexposed people controls in a nearby state for neurophysiological, cognitive, recall and memory functions, and pulmonary performance.
Results The 25 exposed subjects averaged 4.3 neurobehavioral abnormalities, significantly different from 2.5 for local controls and 2.3 for Tennessee controls. Exposed subjects mean forced vital capacity and expiratory volume in 1 sec. were reduced significantly compared to local and regional controls.
Conclusions Near neighbors of hog enclosures and manure lagoon gases had impaired neurobehavioral functions and pulmonary functions and these effects extended to nearby people thought to be controls. Hydrogen sulfide must be abated because people living near lagoons can not avoid rotten egg gas.
