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Poultry Production in Maryland: Environmental Impacts and Community Health Issues

Poultry Production in Maryland: Environmental Impacts and Community Health Issues. Ellen Silbergeld EHS/BSPH July 2006. Research at JHSPH on Poultry Production. EPIDEMIOLOGY EXPOSURE, HEALTH OUTCOMES PRODUCT MONITORING POULTRY PRODUCTS TESTING ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

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Poultry Production in Maryland: Environmental Impacts and Community Health Issues

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  1. Poultry Production in Maryland: Environmental Impacts and Community Health Issues Ellen Silbergeld EHS/BSPH July 2006

  2. Research at JHSPH on Poultry Production • EPIDEMIOLOGY • EXPOSURE, HEALTH OUTCOMES • PRODUCT MONITORING • POULTRY PRODUCTS TESTING • ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • PATHWAYS AND ROUTES OF EXPOSURE • AIR, WATER, DUSTS, SOILS • BIOTIC TRANSFERS – WILDLIFE STUDIES • MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY • TRACKING PATHOGEN MOVEMENT • TRACKING GENE TRANSFER • MICROBIAL POPULATION GENETICS/DIVERSITY • POLICY ANALYSIS • ECONOMIC ANALYSES • SCIENTIFIC BASIS for RISK ASSESSMENT

  3. The CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation): Changes in Food Animal Production since1930 • Factory farms – integrated production model • Concentrated, high volume housing and processing • Highly intensive localization • Broad integration of food production and distribution

  4. THE GEOGRAPHIC CONCENTRATION OF POULTRY PRODUCTION – 50 YEARS in US US poultry production, 1949 Each dot = 50,000 chickens US poultry production 1991 Each dot = 740,000 chickens

  5. DELMARVA POULTRY INDUSTRY • 600-800 million broiler chickens produced annually. • 6000 broiler chicken houses • 2,500 chicken growers • 15,000 poultry employees • Total annual gross income of Delmarva broiler industry: exceeds 1.3 billion dollars.

  6. Many Nonfood Routes of Exposure and Transfer ENVIRONMENT rivers and streams Irrigation Drinking water Bay Manure spreading Swimming Farm effluents Sewage Offal FARMS Slaughter Harvesting Processing Handling Preparation Consumption HUMANS Animal feeds Farmers, workers, communities • High Risk Populations • Children • Elderly • Immunocompromised Contact Adapted from Dr. Ruth Etzel USDA

  7. THE OTHER PRODUCT OF CAFOs

  8. The DelMarVa Penninsula: The “other product” of poultry production • >1,000,000 tons of “manure” produced by ~800 million chickens/yr • Integrators own the birds • Growers own the waste • Management - largely land applied

  9. Why are we concerned? • More biosolids applied than land can handle • Contributes to surface and groundwater contamination • Increased nutrient runoff into surface waters • Detectable presence of drugs and resistance determinants in groundwater

  10. WHO IS AT RISK FOR EXPOSURE? • Workers and growers who work in broiler houses • Workers who handle live chickens at processing plants • Household members of these persons • Community residents

  11. The Poultry Environment Health Study • HYPOTHESES • PERSONS WITH DIRECT EXPOSURE TO THE POULTRY ENVIRONMENT ARE AT INCREASED RISK OF EXPOSURE TO ABR • EXPOSED PERSONS ARE AT INCREASED RISK OF BACTERIA-ASSOCIATED OUTCOMES • THERE IS A GRADIENT OF EXPOSURE, AND HEALTH RISK, AMONG WORKERS, THEIR FAMILIES AND THE COMMUNITY

  12. The Poultry Environment Health Study • SUBJECTS • POULTRY HOUSE WORKERS • “LIVE HANGERS” • GROWERS • HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS • COMMUNITY RESIDENTS

  13. Working in the poultry industry

  14. Living near the poultry industry

  15. The Poultry Environment Health Study • EXPOSURE RISKS • PATHOGENS • ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE • ANTIBIOTICS • ARSENIC • PATHWAYS • AIR, WATER, DUSTS, WILDLIFE, CAUGHT FISH, FOOD PLANTS

  16. AIRBORNE BACTERIA IN CAFOS ARE MULTI DRUG RESISTANT MDR ERYTH-R TET-R VM-R VAN-R Chapin et al (2005) EHP

  17. Air releases from CAFO ventilation systems

  18. The Poultry Environment Health Study • OUTCOMES • BACTERIAL CARRIAGE • REPORTED DIARRHEAL DISEASE • RESPIRATORY FUNCTION TESTS • NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS • METHODS • ISOLATION OF BACTERIA FROM STOOL; MEASUREMENT OF ANTIBODIES IN SERA • QUESTIONNAIRES • RESPIRATORY FUNCTION TESTING

  19. Poultry Health Study: Health Status in poultry workers– Preliminary Results • Self reported symptoms: PW and referents • PW report more frequent GI symptoms • OR 2-5 • PW report much more frequent respiratory symptoms • OR 2.6-35 • PW report much more frequent neuromuscular symptoms, including paralysis, problems with vision and speech • OR 5.4-13.8

  20. Arsenic sources - US

  21. ARSENIC – THE FORGOTTEN ANTIBIOTIC • extensive use of arsenicals in broiler feeds • documented contamination of waste and amended land • percolation into groundwater • arsenic is a human carcinogen and associated with skin, liver, and cardiovascular disease

  22. ARSENIC and POULTRY • Roxarsone, arsanilic acid used in poultry as coccidiostats and growth promoters – 45 g/ton feed • GP – continuous lifelong exposure in feeds • arsenicals excreted (>70%) • 100-200 mg/bird (900 million/yr) • 50,000-90,000 mt/year arsenic • arsenicals inorganic arsenic • leach into groundwater

  23. SHALLOW AQUIFERS IN DELMARVA

  24. A SUGGESTIVE TRACE?

  25. What does this tell us about avian flu? ? ? ?

  26. Wild avians contact poultry houses Photo courtesy of Dr Donald Burke

  27. What are the risks of occupational contact and AF exposure? • Three papers • Koopmans et al (2004) • National surveillance study in Netherlands; symptom driven • 2003 H7N7 outbreak HPAI • All farmers, workers, families, veterinarians in outbreak regions • Bridges et al (2001) • Outbreak investigation of poultry workers and govt investigators • Hong Kong 1997-8 H5N1 • Myers et al (2006) • Cross sectional study of Iowa pork farmers, meat processing workers, veterinarians; Univ of Iowa referent group • Swine influenza transmission risks

  28. Risks of Influenza A/ (H5/N1) infection in poultry workers: Hong Kong 1997-8 Odds of antibody carriage: • Farm/hatchery workers 2.7 • Work on farm >10% bird mortality 2.2 • Touching live poultry 5.8 • Feeding live poultry 2.4 • Butchering live poultry 3.1 [referents: government workers] Occupational dose: response observed

  29. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • STUDENTS • Jon Furuno, Amy Chapin, Lance Price, Jay Graham, Amira Roess, Meche Nweke, Keeve Nachman, Carter Erwin, Patrick Butler, Redwan Huq, • COLLEAGUES • Carol Resnick, Rocio Vailes, Pat Charache, Kellogg Schwab, Rolf Halden, Pat Breysse, Bill Spannhake, Kris Macri, Tim Buckley, Pat Charache, John Griffin, Kazim Sheikh, Vasken Aposhian, Tracy Hancock, Henrik Wegener • Carole Morison, Patrick Harmon, Jim Lewis, Pilar Perez,Jackie Nowell -- UFCW • FUNDING • CLF, Grace, HHMI, NIOSH, Winslow and Baker Foundations

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