Environmental contamination associated with biofuel production involving pesticide-coated seed corn as feedstock: a survey of community environmental and health impacts.

Background: A United States ethanol company used pesticide-coated seed corn for fuel ethanol production, resulting in highly contaminated byproducts. Improper storage and disposal of the waste led to widespread environmental contamination. Detectable levels of neonicotinoids have been found in soil, water, and air samples, raising questions about the potential impacts to the environment and human health. The study objective was to evaluate the community's perceived physical and mental health impacts and needs resulting from the contamination linked to bioenergy production by a single company.

Methods: A 54-question survey was administered to households located within a 10-mile radius of the facility. Respondents could complete the paper survey and return it by mail or electronically. The general topics were household members' awareness, concerns, and perceptions of environmental and health impacts. Quantitative data were presented as frequencies and percentages, while qualitative data were grouped into themes based on keywords and summarized as counts.

Results: A total of 459 respondents completed the survey, a 38% response rate. The average household size was 2.7 (SD = 1.4). Responding households were primarily single-family homes (89%) that were owned (85%), and were long-time residents (mean = 18.4 years, SD = 15.5). A total of 36% of households included children aged 18 or younger. Respondents were concerned about contaminants affecting water (82%), soil (79%), and air (72%) quality. Most respondents (74%) felt some or a lot of stress related to potentially compromised health; however, 51% did not believe they had health symptoms resulting from the contamination. The most common self-reported symptoms among primary respondents were sinus (n = 17), respiratory (n = 22), cognitive/neurological symptoms (n = 15), and allergies (n = 17). Depression and anxiety were the primary mental health symptoms reported with 31 mentions. The top community need was wanting the environment cleaned-up, including proper removal of waste and land restoration.

Conclusions: This study evaluated community-level perceived impacts of environmental contamination directly related to an ethanol plant's improper handling of production waste containing pesticides. Findings can support immediate actions by state officials and community leaders and serve as a baseline for future health and environmental monitoring.