Air pollution from livestock farms and respiratory health impacts in neighboring residents

Abstract

Living close to livestock farms is known to pose respiratory health risks. In the densely populated and livestock-rich Netherlands, the VGO project investigated the health impacts on people living near animal farms. Previous findings revealed that residents exposed to higher concentrations of livestock-related air pollutants experienced reduced lung function, respiratory symptoms, and airway obstruction. This PhD thesis presents research performed in sub-studies of the subsequent VGO-2 and VGO-3 projects, aiming to elucidate the relationship between livestock farming, air pollution, and nearby residents’ respiratory health. Consistent with the known impact of long-term exposure, we found that short-term exposure to livestock-related air pollutants, in particular ammonia, was associated with acute lung function decrements in COPD patients. When exploring the role of airway bacterial communities (‘microbiota’), we found evidence suggesting that the airway microbiota of COPD patients is more vulnerable to changes induced by exposure to farm-related air pollutants. Additionally, we studied whether livestock-related air pollution accelerates the decline in lung function associated with increasing age. Interestingly, while no direct link was found between livestock farm emissions and accelerated lung function decline, those exposed to farming during childhood experienced faster deterioration later in life. While the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated, this should not preclude discussion regarding air quality in livestock-rich areas, and mitigation strategies aimed at protecting health.