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Section E: IAP Affects on the Environment and Human Health

Kellogg J. Schwab, PhD Johns Hopkins University

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Air

  Airborne contaminant emissions arise from both ventilation and passive release

  Emissions can include toxic gases and particulates (Bunton et al., 2007; Heederick et al., 2007)

  Degrading animal excreta produce a complex mixture of … -  Dust particles -  Bacteria

  Endotoxins -  Volatile organic compounds

  Hydrogen sulfide   Ammonia

-  Odors (Bunton et al., 2007) Photo source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

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Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Air

  Studies have found that the air downwind and/or inside large-scale swine feeding operations can also be contaminated with high levels of multi-drug–resistant bacteria (Gibbs et al., 2004; 2006; Chapin et al., 2005)

  Gibbs et al. collected Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., fecal coliforms, and total coliforms inside and downwind of two large-scale swine operations -  All micro-organisms were resistant to two or more antibiotics,

including ampicillin, penicillin, erythromycin, tylosin, tetracycline and/or oxytetracycline

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Airborne Levels of Enterococci Inside a Swine CAFO

  1,700 Enterococci were isolated per cubic meter of air

  An individual breaths approximately 1.5 m3 per hour -  Workers are exposed to 2,550

airborne Enterococci per hour

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Human Health Effects from Airborne Emissions

  IFAP facilities emit significant levels of several compounds (NRC, 2003)

-  Endotoxins -  Particulate matter

-  Ammonia -  Hydrogen sulfide

-  Nitrous oxide -  Methane

-  Volatile organic compounds   Exposures to these compounds are associated with a wide range of

airway diseases (Heederik et al., 2007)

-  Mucous membrane irritation -  Bronchitis

-  Asthma -  Asthma-like syndrome

-  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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Two Major Causes for Soil Degradation

  Feed production -  Monocultures -  Pesticide use -  Soil erosion

  Waste disposal -  Nutrient overload -  Pathogen burden -  Soil becomes reservoir of air and water pollutants

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Water Stress

  Water contamination from runoff, leaching, and incompletely treated effluent

  Water withdrawal for feed production -  Water use for animal vs. plant protein: 100:1 -  E.g., approximately 500 gallons per pound of grain-fed broiler

(3,500 L to produce 1 kg)

  Water withdrawal for animal care (IFAP vs. pasture ratio up to 5:1)

9 Photo source: waterencyclopedia.com. Map source: USGS.

Ogallala Aquifer

  Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas (Wyoming, South Dakota)

  One of the largest aquifers in the world -  Approximately 174,000 square

miles

10 Source: Kansas Renewable Energy Working Group.

Ogallala Aquifer Depletion

  Already depleted by half

  One- to three-foot decline in water levels per year

  Some areas already exhausted

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Water Contamination

  Manure storage

  Manure disposal

  Runoff from soil into surface waters

  Leaching from soil into groundwater

  Extreme weather events (flooding)

JHSPH OpenCourseWare has removed this image because license for its use could not be secured

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Excess Nutrients

  Excess nutrients flushed from agricultural soils into the Mississippi Delta

Map source: USGS.

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Eutrophication of Inland Surface Waters

  Excess nutrients lead to algal blooms and fish kills

JHSPH OpenCourseWare has removed this image because license for its use could not be secured

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Excess Nutrients: Hypoxia

  Annually recurring dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico -  Up to 9,000 square miles in the year 2002 (an area the size of

New Jersey)

Map source: NOAA.

Area in square miles

Year (1985–2002)

Size of dead zone

15 Photo source: USDA.

Animal Waste Disposal

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Spatial Distribution of Confined Livestock Operations

Map source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

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Runoff

Map source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

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Regions Vulnerable to Manure Nitrogen Runoff

Map source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

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Populations Affected by Nitrate Leaching

  Nitrate concentration in U.S. groundwater used for drinking, as predicted by the GWAVA-DW model (simulation depth 50 m)

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Other Contaminants of Concern

  Endocrine disruptors

JHSPH OpenCourseWare has removed this image because license for its use could not be secured.

Please visit http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/frogphotos.html

to view the deleted images on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency site

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Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs)

  WHO definition: an endocrine disrupter “is an exogenous substance or mixture that alters function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently causes adverse health effects in an intact organism, or to its progeny, or (sub)populations”

JHSPH OpenCourseWare has removed this image because license for its use could not be secured.

Please visit http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/frogphotos.html

to view the deleted images on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency site

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Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs)

  Important agricultural EDCs: -  Pesticides used in feed production (atrazine, trifluralin,

permethrin) -  Natural hormones contained in manure