Health Hotline Magazine | July 2020

Watch Earth LIVINGNEAR CONFINEDANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS REDUCES LIFE EXPECTANCY, ESPECIALLY INYOUNG PEOPLEAND INFANTS By Charity Isely

On an industrial hog farm in North Carolina, the animals are crammed together in dark, dirty spaces with no room to move. Waste falls through slats in the floor and is channeled into an open pit, where untreated excrement builds up until farmers spray it onto nearby fields, or until it ruptures, spilling into rivers and seeping into groundwater. i ii It's called a concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO, and it isn’t limited to hog farming—more than 90% of the meat consumed in this country come from CAFOs. iii The conditions are appalling and inhumane, the environmental repercussions are terrifying, and the workplace hazards are horrific. Yet there's another shadow cast by CAFOs that we may not consider enough—the health impact on nearby residents. Contaminants from CAFO waste are encountered by neighboring communities in multiple ways— through water, air pollution,

The study further isolated the zip codes which contained more than 215 hogs per square km and discovered the following: The residents of this group, age 24 or younger, had mortality rates that were much higher than those in the rest of the state and the US for the same age group. For infants under one, the rate was also higher compared to the national average. When taking disease-specific mortality into account, this region ranked number one for death due to kidney disease or with anemia as an underlying cause, and number four overall in the US. Although the study does not establish causality between the presence of CAFOs and rates of mortality in adjacent communities, it suggests a significant correlation. vii There’s another side to the coin—environmental injustice. Hundreds of studies point to “disparities in the location of environmental hazards

relative to race and class.” viii In NC, one study found that communities with more poverty and higher percentages of non-white people were nine times more likely to have CAFOs. ix When industrialized hog farming took off in the state, the location of farms shifted from one in almost every county in 1982, to 95% of operations clustering in a handful of eastern counties, in communities that were historically African American. x WHAT YOU CAN DO The negative health impacts associated with living near CAFOs are significant, and we can't ignore the disproportionate effects they have on children and minority communities. There is a better way to feed America. Know your label claims and

and persistent odor. Numerous pollutants are emitted, including ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which have been associated with respiratory dysfunction. In addition, hog waste can overload soil and groundwater with zinc, which can inhibit the uptake of iron and copper,

FACTORIES farms not

potentially leading to anemia and kidney problems. Among many reported issues, people living near commercial farms have experienced more depression and fatigue, as well as blood pressure spikes during times of strong odor. iv

make sure that transparency, sustainability, and animal welfare are the minimum standards that dictate the animal protein on your plate. When buying pork, look for label claims of no antibiotics, vegetarian fed, gestation crate-free, and/or certified humane. These types of label claims ensure that the farmer is dedicated to the health and welfare of the animals and that the product did not come from a CAFO operation, where antibiotics are routinely used to promote weight gain and keep the animals just healthy enough to survive the abysmal conditions created on CAFOs. It's the only way to eat for your health, the planet, and neighbors too.

The stench of rotten eggs and ammonia is the unpleasant reality that residents of NC’s hog farming counties must deal with regularly. v The state, which is the second-largest hog producer in the country, is uniquely suited to studying how CAFOs may affect the wellbeing of nearby communities. Compared to other hog producers, NC has more animals per farm and substantially higher population density near farms than other leading states. A study, published in the North Carolina Medical Journal , looked at health outcomes and mortality rates in communities in these areas, and found some alarming parallels, most notably, higher rates of all-cause and infant mortality. vi

References available upon request.

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