Characterization of Spirometric Function in Residents of Three Comparison Communities and of Three Communities Located near Waste Incinerators in North Carolina

Abstract Waste incinerators are an increasingly common means of solid waste disposal. However, little is documented about the physical health of community members who live close to incinerators. During a 3-yr epidemiological study, spirometric lung function was tested once annually among residents from 3 communities surrounding a hazardous waste, biomedical, or municipal incinerator and among residents in 3 comparison communities. A total of 1,016 nonsmoking individuals, aged 8–80 yr, participated during at least 1 of the 3 yr of the study; 358 individuals participated all 3 yr. Daily air-quality sampling was done for 1 mo/yr in all 6 communities. The average monthly concentrations of particulate matter with diameters of 2.5 pm and less (PM2.5 [range = 14.6–31.5 μg/m3]) in all communities were similar during the 3 yr of study. The mean daily PM2.5 concentrations were significantly less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's allowable 24-hr standard of 65 μg/m3. Individual incinerators contributed less than 2.5% of the areas' total PM2.5 levels. There was no difference in percent predicted forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, or forced expiratory flow rate over the middle 50% of the forced vital capacity among members of the incinerator communities, compared with nonincinerator communities, and there were no significant differences in lung function within the 3 sets of communities. There was no evidence from this study that an association existed between residence in these 3 waste incinerator areas, which met state and federal emissions regulations, and average spirometric pulmonary function of nonsmoking community members.