ATSDR -- FY 1999 AGENCY PROFILE AND ANNUAL REPORT
morning to evening and both whether a participant's residence was downwind
from the landfill and the odor index for a particular day, as reported by the
independent odor panel.
This investigation is the first to address longstanding community
concerns about potential respiratory health risks from landfill emissions. The
results of this investigation suggest that the perception of certain odors
(garbage or rotten eggs) is associated with a worsening of respiratory health
among some persons with asthma who live near the landfill. Future
investigations of the potential health effects associated with the impact of the
landfill should seriously consider the role of odor perception among residents.
Respiratory symptoms increased during excavations
Surveillance of Health Conditions Reported During Clean-up Actions
at the Ralph Grey Trucking Site, California. The California Department of
Health Services conducted a surveillance study to assess whether illnesses
were associated with the cleanup of the Ralph Gray Trucking Company NPL
site in Orange County. The former industrial site was redeveloped as a 73-
home residential area in the 1950s and 1960s. The site contains wastes from the
refining of high-octane aviation fuel, which had been placed in unlined
trenches in the 1930s. Wastes from the site had oozed up into lawns and
swimming pools of residents. EPA chose to remove the buried waste and
contaminated soil and dispose of it off site.
The surveillance study was conducted because the excavation was
anticipated to release sulfur dioxide and other chemicals. Relatively low levels
of sulfur dioxide can cause broncho constriction (similar to asthma), especially
in persons with respiratory problems. A baseline survey (n=271) was
conducted to identify a panel primarily composed of people with respiratory
sensitivities (n=36). They were asked to report daily respiratory symptoms and
odors. Exposures included sulfur dioxide measurements and daily tonnage of
waste removed.
The study found that the group of residents who had respiratory
problems reported increased wheezing and coughing when excavation of
wastes from the NPL site was greatest. Wheezing and coughing were
significantly associated with tonnage of waste removed, especially on days
when the highest amounts of waste were removed.
Although wheezing and coughing were found to be associated with the
removal of wastes, associations were not found when exposure was based on
sulfur dioxide. This difference could be because of differences in the tonnage
and sulfur dioxide datasets or due to the possibility that symptoms were related
to particulates rather than sulfur dioxide. Upper respiratory symptoms were
found to be associated with sulfur dioxide, and weak relationships were found
with sulfur dioxide and nausea and burning sensations of the nasal passages.
This evaluation provides evidence of measurable health effects that can be
related to emissions. In addition, the study methods, which used individual
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