Abstract
Despite recognition of the socioenvironmental impacts of improper manangement and disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW), often involiving diseases, few studies have been carried out to investigate the association between this waste management and health. It is important to know the health status of people living near landfills and dumps, to make those responsible for managment aware of the need to establish more effective sanitation policies. For this purpose, we conducted a descriptive case study with primary data on repiratory diseases of children living near a trash dump. The field work was performed in two periods in 2005 and 2016. In the first, the dump was in operation, while in the second it had been shut down for about five years. The study was conducted in a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro with a population of about 47,000 people in 2006. The results indicate that the rates of respiratory diseases among children living in the area surrounding the dump were higher in 2005 than in 2016, a finding that might be related to the dump’s closure. In ten cases the decline in the ailments reported by the respondents was significant, led by wheezing attacks after exercise (26.4 percengage points lower) and pneumonia (16 p.p.lower). In six cases, the rates were slightly higher, suggesting the need for a more thorough study to investigate this increase. The results are not definitive, but indicate the importance of the considering the negative health effects of trash dumps and the need to close them or improve the treatment and disposal of municipal solid waste.
Highlights
Contamination of the soil and groundwater has been a growing global worry in recent decades, and is known to be a serious problem that afflicts large urban and industrial centers
Rainfall regime, soil sealing in urban areas, insufficient collection and inadequate disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous substances can aggravate these risks
We investigated the children living in the vicinity of a waste dump located in a municipality in Rio de Janeiro state, to evaluate the respiratory health of this population, in two periods, one when it was in full operation and the other five years after its closure, in 2005 and 2016 respectively
Summary
Contamination of the soil and groundwater has been a growing global worry in recent decades, and is known to be a serious problem that afflicts large urban and industrial centers. Rainfall regime, soil sealing in urban areas, insufficient collection and inadequate disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous substances can aggravate these risks. Because of these factors, the problems caused by contaminated and degraded areas are increasing, there is insufficient knowledge to identify the geographical variation of these effects and prescribe mitigating measures. The resulting health problems afflict people of lower economic classes. Brazil as a whole suffers from lack of care by public authorities and the people who live near water bodies, causing alarming levels of contamination in many points due to discharge of raw sewage and dumping of untreated MSW
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
