Table 5
Health effects* of highest (>105 CFU† m−3 air) versus near background concentrations of outdoor bioaerosol, pollution, duration of present residency, and odour annoyance in a residential area with a neighbouring composting site
| Bioaerosol pollution in residential air‡ up to >105 CFU m−3 air | Duration of present residency >5 years | Odour annoyance in the residential area | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reported health complaints§ | SS¶ | OR** | 95% CI†† | OR | 95% CI | OR | 95% CI |
| *Only the significantly increased complaints from table 3 are listed and printed in bold type. | |||||||
| †CFU, colony forming units. | |||||||
| ‡Distance of home to the emitting site 150–200 m. | |||||||
| §Frequency or occurrence in the past 12 months. If not otherwise stated, rates are for a single occurrence. | |||||||
| ¶SS, sample size. | |||||||
| **OR, odds ratio of those living the stated distance from site compared to those living >400 m from the site adjusted for odour annoyance in the residential area, period of residence in the present home >5 years, and age. | |||||||
| ††CI, confidence interval. | |||||||
| ‡‡Criteria of the World Health Organisation for chronic bronchitis. | |||||||
| §§Due to the small number of subjects of this complaint reliable odds ratio could not be determined. | |||||||
| Respiratory tract | |||||||
| Frequency of colds >5×/year | 209 | 1.94 | 0.65 to 6.78 | 4.72 | 1.19 to 31.83 | 3.09 | 0.50 to 60.14 |
| Bronchitis | 210 | 3.02 | 1.35 to 7.06 | 2.91 | 1.29 to 7.03 | 1.86 | 0.71 to 5.54 |
| Waking up due to coughing | 202 | 2.70 | 1.23 to 6.10 | 2.51 | 1.19 to 5.53 | 1.95 | 0.81 to 5.08 |
| Wheezing | 207 | 1.96 | 0.84 to 4.82 | 2.95 | 1.22 to 7.99 | 1.97 | 0.72 to 6.35 |
| Shortness of breath at rest | 203 | 3.99 | 1.31 to 15.19 | 1.50 | 0.56 to 4.49 | 1.97 | 0.59 to 9.02 |
| Coughing on rising or during the day‡‡ | 210 | 2.67 | 1.17 to 6.10 | 1.51 | 0.69 to 3.29 | 1.51 | 0.61 to 3.75 |
| Shortness of breath after exertion | 205 | 4.23 | 1.74 to 11.34 | 2.03 | 0.90 to 4.91 | 2.15 | 0.79 to 6.90 |
| Eyes and general health | |||||||
| Itching eyes >10×/year | 206 | 1.35 | 0.61 to 3.05 | 2.85 | 1.31 to 6.50 | 4.97 | 1.89 to 15.67 |
| Smarting eyes >10×/year | 205 | 2.44 | 1.02 to 6.22 | 2.42 | 1.06 to 5.86 | 10.40 | 2.87 to 66.96 |
| Nausea or vomiting >5×/year | 204 | 2.65 | 0.87 to 9.97 | 4.10 | 1.28 to 18.44 | §§ | §§ |
| Excessive tiredness >5×/year | 200 | 2.80 | 1.22 to 6.72 | 1.83 | 0.84 to 4.11 | §§ | §§ |
| Shivering | 210 | 4.63 | 1.44 to 20.85 | 3.67 | 1.32 to 12.20 | §§ | §§ |
| Joint trouble >10×/year | 207 | 1.27 | 0.54 to 3.07 | 1.52 | 0.65 to 3.71 | 4.30 | 1.55 to 14.17 |
| Muscular complaints >10×/year | 201 | 1.17 | 0.47 to 2.99 | 1.39 | 0.55 to 3.86 | 2.99 | 1.02 to 11.03 |
