Do landfill sites cause ill health?

Previous studies of effects on health have shown an association between adverse reproductive outcomes and living near landfill sites. Public concern near the Nant-y-Gwyddon landfill site in the Rhondda Valley, south Wales, prompted Fielder et al (p 19) to review routine health statistics and environmental reports. Residents near the tip had raised rates of reported congenital malformations, even before the site opened, though a cluster of gastroschisis postdated its opening. Lack of historical measurements of exposure and reliance on health datasets that mainly record only hospital admissions limit the ability of environmental health impact assessments to provide robust evidence of safety. The authors urge more research into causers of gastroschisis and the development of protocols to measure community exposures near landfill sites.

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Relevant Article

Assessment of impact on health of residents living near the Nant-y-Gwyddon landfill site: retrospective analysis • Commentary: Impact on health needs assessing from different angles

H M P Fielder, C M Poon-King, S R Palmer, N Moss, G Coleman, and Helen Dolk
BMJ 2000 320: 19-23. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]