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Using GIS in Exposure assesment to study health effects of Hazardous Waste Sites in Slovakia

This study explores using GIS to assess health effects of hazardous waste sites in Slovakia, focusing on low birth weights as a health outcome. The methodology involves identifying sites, assessing exposure, analyzing data, and interpreting results. A case study near a former nickel refinery is used to demonstrate the methodology. Additional exposure data including air and water pollution measurements are considered. The analysis involves creating exposure zones around the site, extracting relevant birth weight data, and calculating Odds Ratios to determine associations. This research addresses the lack of specific environmental health studies in Slovakia and aims to highlight the relevance of such investigations.

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Using GIS in Exposure assesment to study health effects of Hazardous Waste Sites in Slovakia

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  1. Using GIS in Exposure assesment to study health effects of Hazardous Waste Sites inSlovakia 1 Trnava University,Faculty of Health and Social Work, Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology,Trnava, Slovakia 2 University of Southern Denmark, Health Promotion Unit, Esbjerg, Denmark Marek Majdan1, Gabriel Gulis1,2 ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  2. Objectives • To show the possibility and relevance of using GIS as a tool to asses the exposure in studies of health effects of hazardous waste sites • To discuss the advantages and limitations of this method • To demonstrate our methodology on a case of a HWS in Slovakia and its impact on the incidence of low birthweights in the surrounding area ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  3. Background • The hazardous waste sites (HWS) are a potential source of hazardous substances and therefore a potential threat for the health of people working on them and living nearby • There is a lack of specific research done in this field of environmental health in Slovakia • The results of studies conducted in the UK and in the USA confirm that research in this field is of high relevance • We decided to set up a methodology for such research in the environment and conditions of Slovakia ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  4. Methods • Step 1-to seek for HWS which might pose a threat for the health of the people • Step 2-health outcome and exposure assesment • Step 3-to analyze the data and to calculate the risk (OR) • Step 4-to interprete the results properly ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  5. Step 1-to seek • There are officially13 HWS operating in Slovakia • Many old, forgotten HWS which were not properly closed up and are not officially in use anymore • We choosed one of these sites – a HWS near a former nickel refinery to demonstrate the steps of our methodology ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  6. Methods • Step 1-to seek for HWS which might pose a threat for the health of the people • Step 2-health outcome and exposure assesment • Step 3-to analyze the data and to calculate the risk (OR) • Step 4-to interprete the results properly ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  7. Step 2-Health outcome • Low birth weight (below 2500g) as a negative health outcome • A dataset of birth weights in Slovakia for the period of 1997-2002 • One record: • Name of the place of living of the mother • Birth weight of her newborn • Age of the mother • Number of children in the pregnancy ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  8. Step 2-exposure assesment • The exposure assesment using the GIS as a tool is based on the distance from the HWS • Additional Exposure data • Individual measurements • Air and water pollution data • Surrogate exposure data (cytogenetic measurements) • In our model case we found these additional exposure data: • Measurements of ambient air pollution in teh area of the HWS (heavy metals) • Measurements of dust sediments and their analyses on heavy metals • Measurements of ground water pollution in the area of the HWS ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  9. Methods • Step 1-to seek for HWS which might pose a threat for the health of the people • Step 2-health outcome and exposure assesment • Step 3-to analyze the data and to calculate the risk (OR) • Step 4-to interprete the results properly ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  10. Step 3-to analyze • We created 3 circle-zones of exposure around the HWS in Sered using the GIS with the diameters of 5, 10 and 15 km • We took out the records which refered to one of the places included in these zones from our birthweight dataset • We devided this extracted dataset into three datasets which refered to three zones of exposure • We assumed that in the zone 1 – the closest to the HWS there is the biggest exposure ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  11. ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  12. Step 3-to analyze • We conducted a cross-sectional study considering low bithweight newborns (under 2500g) to be our cases and normal birtweight newborns (more than 2500g) to be our controls • The records refering to twin-newborns were excluded and settlements which area intersected by one of the zone-borderlines as well • We calculated the Odds Ratio of • Zone 1 vs zone 2 • Zone 1 vs zone 3 • Zone 2 vs zone 3 ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  13. Table 1: Number of cases and controls in the exposure zones ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  14. Table 2: Odds Ratio of the relationships of cases and controls in the exposure zones ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  15. Methods • Step 1-to seek for HWS which might pose a threat for the health of the people • Step 2-health outcome and exposure assesment • Step 3-to analyze the data and to calculate the risk (OR) • Step 4-to interprete the results properly ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  16. Step 4-Interpretation • The results of our model case suggest that the residence near the HWS is a risk factor for developing a low birthweight newborn when comparing to teh areas furtherfrom the HWS • The results are not statistically significant though • We must consider different factors which may confound the result and make the interpretetion complicated and unclear ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  17. Step 4-Interpretation • Confounding factors: • Socio-economical (income, marrital status, education level) • Individual (lifestyle, age, occupational exposure) • Environmental (other sources of pollution in the area) • Data quality: • The exact address of the mother (street, number,zip code) would make this exposure assesment methodology more appropriate and valid ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

  18. Conclusions • Because of the lack of detailed data for exposure assesment the methodology using the distance of the residence as a basic for exposure may be in the conditions of Slovakia appropriate • In this methodology the GIS are very usefull and can help in the exposure assesment procedure and also can help to calculate and interprete the results • Detailed geographical data and additional data which will make the exposure assesment more valid are neccessary ISEE, New Challenges of Environmental Health, 9-11 June, 2005 Budapest

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