Solid waste disposal in urban areas and health - the case of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Abstract

The presence of sanitary or controlled landfill in urban areas and its implications for the health of the population that lives in its bordering area has been little investigated. The presence of these deposits, with design or operational problems, can end up providing a likely location for the proliferation of diverse vectors and favouring uncontrolled emissions, which may affect health, both for the people that work and live in these places and those that live nearby. This paper describes a study carried out in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with the objective of associating the presence of the BR 040 sanitary landfill, located in the urban environment, and the health of the neighbouring population. There were 475 possibilities of occurrences studied, covering 19 different combinations for association between the exposure factor and the groupings of researched diseases (respiratory diseases, diarrhoea and skin diseases). However, of this total only 33 results were shown to be significant in showing the existence of an association. For these results, the variable exposures identified as a risk factor showed an odds ratio ranging between 1.20 and 13.75. Although without an evidenced relationship, respiratory diseases appeared as a relevant outcome in the study, as they were present in 23 of the 33 studied combinations in which the results were significant.