Mortality in small geographical areas and proximity to air polluting industries in the Basque Country (Spain).

OBJECTIVES: To study the association between proximity to air polluting industrial facilities and mortality in the Basque Country (Spain) in the 1996-2003 period. METHODS: A cross-sectional ecological study with 1465 census sections (CS) as units of analysis with a mean population of 1257 inhabitants. Association of CS mortality with proximity of industries of the European Pollutant Emission Register was studied by type of industrial activity and adjusted for social deprivation. Two distance thresholds (1 km and 2 km) were used as proxies for exposure in a 'near versus far' analysis. Causes of mortality studied were: all causes; tracheal, bronchial, and lung cancer; haematological tumours; ischaemic heart disease; cerebrovascular diseases; chronic diseases of the lower respiratory tract; and breast cancer (in women). Poisson's generalised linear mixed models (GLMM) with two random effects (heterogeneity and structured spatial variability) were used in a fully Bayesian environment. RESULTS: Men living in sections within 1 km from energy production industries had greater mortality from tracheal, bronchial, and lung cancer [CI(90%) 6% to 53%] as compared with people living further. Women had greater mortality from ischaemic heart disease [CI(90%) 1% to 17%] and respiratory illness [CI(90%) 1% to 24%] within 2 km from metal-processing industries. On the contrary, within the 1 km buffer from mineral industries, mortality was lower for all causes [CI(90%) -20% to -6%] and for ischaemic heart disease [CI(90%) -40% to -10%] in women, and from respiratory diseases in men [CI(90%) -39% to -4%], while it was greater for breast cancer in women [CI(90%) 2% to 28%] within the 2 km buffer. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of mortality by census sections is a helpful exploratory tool for investigating environmental risk factors and directing actions to sites and risk factors with a greater impact on health. Further epidemiological and environmental investigations around metal-processing and energy-producing plants are required.

Establecimiento de valores máximos admisibles en suelo para la protección de la salud con el Modelo Lur / Setting maximum soil levels for health protection with the Lur model

Objetivos: La contaminación ambiental puede ser origen de problemas de salud y, actualmente, es vivida por las poblaciones como una amenaza. Al establecer concentraciones máximas admisibles de contaminantes ambientales, debe garantizarse la protección de la salud pública y la creación de ambientes saludables. En la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco (CAPV) se han derivado valores máximos admisibles de contaminantes en suelo siguiendo el modelo denominado LUR, basado en la evaluación de riesgos. Estos valores representan niveles de contaminante en el suelo que no suponen un riesgo inaceptable para la población humana. Métodos: Los valores máximos admisibles de contaminantes en suelo se han derivado a partir de la definición de qué es un riesgo admisible y de la combinación de la información relativa a la valoración de la toxicidad del compuesto y a la exposición esperada de las personas según el uso que se haga del suelo. Se han considerado 5 usos o escenarios de exposición: área de juego infantil, residencial con huerta, residencial, parque público e industrial/comercial. Para el cálculo de la exposición estándar se han tenido en cuenta, como rutas de exposición, la ingestión de suelo, el consumo de hortalizas de producción propia, la inhalación de partículas y de compuestos volátiles, y la absorción por vía dérmica. Se han considerado menos robustos los valores máximos admisibles en cuyo cálculo tienen un peso importante la inhalación y la vía dérmica, debido a que el cálculo de la exposición por estas rutas tiene un nivel de incertidumbre mayor. Resultados y conclusiones: Se presentan los resultados de la aplicación de esta metodología en dos casos ilustrativos: el cadmio como contaminante inorgánico con efectos distintos al cáncer, y el del benzo(a)pireno como contaminante orgánico con acción cancerígena. Se discuten las limitaciones de la metodología empleada (AU)

[Establishing maximum permissible values in soil for health protection with the Lur model]. / Establecimiento de valores máximos admisibles en suelo para la protección de la salud con el modelo Lur.

OBJECTIVE: Environmental pollution can be the origin of health problems and it is seen by populations as a hazard. Therefore, when environmental maximum levels of contaminants are set it is necessary to guarantee public health protection and to promote a healthy environment. In the Basque Autonomous Community (Spain) the establishment of maximum levels of contaminants in soil has followed the model named LUR, based on the risk assessment methodology. These values are levels of pollutant that are supposed not to represent an unacceptable risk for human beings. METHODS: Maximum levels of contaminants in soil arise from establishing a maximum tolerable risk and assessing toxicity information and human exposure in relation to land uses. The model has considered 5 land uses for exposure: children playground, residential with garden, residential, public park and industrial/commercial. The routes of exposure taken into account have been soil ingestion, consumption of home-grown vegetables, soil particle and vapour inhalation and dermal absorption. When inhalation and dermal absorption contribute largely to contaminant intake, standards are less robust because uncertainty in exposure assessment in these cases is high. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results of applying this methodology to the case of two contaminants are presented: cadmium, as a non carcinogenic inorganic contaminant, and benzo(a)pyrene, as a carcinogenic organic contaminant. Limitations of the methodology are discussed.