AIR POLLUTION in Jamaica comes mainly from industrial activities and motor vehicles.

Air pollution in Jamaica comes mainly from industrial activities and motor vehicles. The main industries that contribute to air pollution in Jamaica are: bauxite\alumina, electricity and steam generation, cement and lime manufacturing chemical processing and petroleum refining. The rapid growth in motor vehicle fleets has also contributed to the obvious deterioration in air quality in urban areas, particularly in the Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMR) where the refinery and cement plants and some electricity and steam generating plants are located

IMPLICATIONS OF AIR POLLUTON ON HEALTH

There has been ongoing concern in urban areas about air pollution and also from communities that are located near specific facilities such as bauxite alumina plants and the sulphuric acid plants. There are reports of increased incidences of respiratory diseases in urban areas as well as in the vicinity of bauxite alumina plants in Jamaica. Mobile sources emit nitrogen oxides (NO
X

), volatile organic com-

pounds (VOCs) carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter into the atmosphere. In the presence of sunlight VOCs and NO
X

undergo photochemical and thermal reactions that result in the formation of photochemical smog . VOC emissions from mobile sources include organic compounds such as benzene that are called carcinogens . The particulate matter emissions from vehicles can enter the human respiratory tract and these are sometimes carcinogenic and toxic.

Factory Farms: Air Pollution and the Threat of Bird Flu

August 15, 2007, 01:00:00PM. By Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email Share on Anne Borden print More Sharing Services 2 Little Rock, AK: As neighbors of factory farms continue to file lawsuits claiming asthma and other illnesses, some experts are documenting another public health threat: bird flu. Kevin Parcell is the director of a [global initiative] aimed at creating resilient communities capable of withstanding crises such as avian influenza (bird flu). LawyersandSettlements spoke with him recently about the potential of a pandemic in the US, and the connection between factory farms, air pollution and bird flu. LAS: What have you been hearing from neighbors of factory farms? "Kevin: The full range of complaints. Home owners are trapped on properties they can't give away. The problem is that livestock produces more waste than does the human population, but it isn't regulated by federal law as is human waste.

LAS: That stinks. Kevin: Well, some say it smells like money! It's unfortunate that industry lobbyists have kept federal oversight largely limited to fines that are too small to deter bad practices. Worse than the stench is the disease threat to neighbors. In my research, it became evident that factory farms are the underlying cause of avian flu and its spread. When our best science confirmed the link early this year, I began to speak out against the practice of crowding animals. Some of the latest strains of bird flu are more efficient, more resistant to antivirals and vaccines, and undetectable. Something has to be done - fast. LAS: How is bird flu spread by factory farms? Kevin: It is spread mostly by commercial use of manure, but recently house flies have been shown to be transmitters of avian influenza, and factory farms generate plagues of flies in residential areas. The highly pathogenic variety of the bird flu virus needs overcrowding of animals to arise, and only factory farms provide that. In fact, the FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization) announced this spring that the deadly variety is now embedded in animal populations and will continue to spread through commercial activity. We probably can't eradicate this virus as long as these conditions persist. LAS: What about the threat of pandemic? Kevin: In my opinion, the greatest threat is that we will soon see highly efficient bird-to-human strains begin to emerge from factory farms. Such varieties could be identical in effect to a highly transmissible human-to human virus. Confining the bug to factory farms is possibly breeding a super strain [of bird flu]. LAS: Many people think of bird flu as something 'foreign' - but you're suggesting it's not. Kevin: That's right. The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which was also a bird flu, started in Kansas, so it's a mistake to think of this as somebody else's problem. In fact, culling of backyard farms in southeast Asia and north Africa has decreased human contact. That's taken bird flu almost out of the news for the last few months, but the virus the virus continues to evolve in factory farms. . LAS: Is the government doing anything about this? Kevin: Industry lobbyists have been effective at keeping factory farms exempt from federal regulation. For example, Arkansas' Senator Lincoln is pushing a bill right now to exempt manure from [certain legislation], supposedly to protect family farms, but Arkansas is one of the worst factory farm polluters.

LAS: What can communities do?

READ MORE LEGAL NEWS

Sleepless on the Farm Poultry Farm Nuisance: Nobody Crosses the Road Farm Nuisance: Too Close for Comfort

Kevin: When people in affected areas band together they can get results if they involve the media. I remember one campaign that put a fellow in a chicken suit and had him visit his Congressman, which brought the live news cams and led to increased state regulations. And, of course, class action nuisance suits are a good strategy. Consumers can also use their wallets to punish the industry at the checkout counter. Buy organic and locally produced food. That combination -- legal and consumer action -- will bring change. LAS: But will that change be on time? Kevin: We can't know, but the global marketplace cannot withstand the impact of a major pandemic. We simply must do everything we can to shut down the factory farms now.

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Air Pollution
Industrial farms, also called factory farms or CAFOs (confined ani mal feeding operations) pollute the air in many ways, emitting foul odors, airborne particles, greenhouse gases, and numerous toxic chemicals. In the United States and elsewhere, industrial farms are leading producers of noxious substances such as nitrous oxide
1

and ammonia.
2

U.S. farms alone produce more than 400 different gases,

3

in addition to dust and airborne particles known as endotoxins

4

gen erated during the handling and disposal of manure, the production and use of animal feeds, and the shipping and distribution of farm products. Air pollution from industrial farms can cause health prob lems in agricultural workers, in residents of neighboring commu nities, and in farm animals. Although strategies exist to reduce air

pollution, many industrial farms do little or nothing in this regard. Mountains of Manure The USDA estimates that more than 335 million tons of manure are produced annually on U.S. farms.
5

Stored for long periods of time in giant tanks or lagoons, the animal waste decomposes and pollutes the air with hundreds of different gases.
6

These storage facilities are often located next to animal confinement facilities, with the livestock and the people who work with them continually exposed to harm ful gases.
7

Additional air pollution is caused when huge amounts of stored manure are sprayed onto fields. Hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide are the major hazardous gases produced by decomposing manure.
8

The EPA estimates that methane emissions from manure increased by 26 percent in the United States between 1990 and 2004, due pri marily to larger, more concentrated dairy cow and swine facilities.
9

North Carolinas hog industry alone produces about 300 tons of am monia each day.
10

Air Pollution and Feed While manure is the largest contributor to air pollution from fac tory farms, industrial animal feed also plays a role. In 2004, the EPA estimated that 20 percent of all man-made methane production re sulted from livestock digestion, primarily cows,
11

which on factory farms are kept alive with low-quality grain-based feed that their bod ies were not designed to digest. This feed fattens animals cheaply but causes chronic indigestion that contributes to higher methane emissions.
12

Producing the vast crops required for this animal feed also pollutes the air with soil management techniques, especially the use of synthetic fertilizers, that were responsible for 68 percent of all nitrous oxide released into the atmosphere in 2004.
13

Major Pollutants Effects of air pollution vary depending on the specific pollutants in volved, how they are vented into the atmosphere, and local condi tions, such as weather patterns. Some of the principle air pollutants created by industrial livestock facilities are listed here, along with their effects. Hydrogen sulfide is a gas that limits the ability of cells to use oxy gen. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide in high levels can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, neurologic and cardiac disorders, seizures, comas, and death. Chronic exposure at lower levels can cause low blood pressure, headache, chronic cough, and psychological disor

ders.
14

Hydrogen sulfide is generally associated with hog production facilities. Ammonia can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.
15

It is released in large quantities by chicken and hog CAFOs. Particulate matter is a leading cause of bronchitis and asthma in people who are regularly exposed to it and can also be a cause of cardiac disorders including arrhythmia and heart attacks.
16

Endotoxins , poisons produced by dying bacteria, are found in high concentrations on factory farms, but can cause respiratory problems even in extremely low concentrations.
17

Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of decomposing manure that causes shortness of breath and dizziness in humans, and often kills confined animals by asphyxiation.
18

Methane is a major contributor to climate change. According to the EPA, methane is 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide and is the second most important contributor to the greenhouse effect, now accounting for 16 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions from human activity.
19

Effects on Workers As many as 70 percent of workers on CAFOs experience acute bron chitis, while 25 percent contract chronic bronchitis.
20

In one study a host of other respiratory ailments were linked to working in indoor swine facilities for two hours a day over a period of six years, most likely as a result of dust inhalation.
21

Some of the gases produced on factory farms also are fatal in high concentrations. In the United serving up healthy food choices
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page 2 States, at least 12 cases were documented over five years of workers dying from asphyxiation in manure pits.
22

Effects on Communities Residents of communities near hog farms often have increased re spiratory problems.
23

A number of studies have demonstrated that fatigue, depression, and mood disturbances occur in higher propor tions in people living near such facilities.
24

A study of one town in Utah found a four-fold increase in diarrhea-related hospitalizations and a three-fold increase in respiratory-related hospitalizations over a five-year period during which an industrial hog farm was construct ed and started operating.
25

Minnesotas Pollution Control Agency has documented hydrogen sulfide concentrations in excess of World Health Organization maximum exposure standards on properties neighboring industrial hog facilities.
26

A 2006 study comparing two rural Iowa elementary schools, one located near a CAFO and one not, found a significant prevalence of asthma in children at the school near the factory farm.
27

Environmental Effects Air pollution from farms directly affects the environment, chiefly through the production of gaseous nitrogen and some of the green house gases responsible for global warming. About 80 percent of U.S. ammonia emissions came from livestock manure.
28

As a report from the National Academy of Sciences explains, atmospheric ammonia and nitric oxide both produced on farms contribute to what is known as the nitrogen cascade, in which each ammonia molecule can, in sequence, impact atmospheric visibility, soil acidity, forest productivity, terrestrial ecosystem biodiversity, stream acidity, and coastal productivity.
29

Particulate emissions from factory farms also contribute to haze.

30

Through the production of greenhouse gases primarily methane and nitrous oxide the agricultural industry was directly responsible for 6 percent of the U.S. contribution to global warming in 2004, according to the EPA.
31

Remedies and Regulations A number of techniques can reduce the emissions and effects of air pollutant from industrial farms, including better storage of manure, air-breaks positioned near farms, and increased attention to the nu tritional needs of specific types of livestock.
32

Allowing cows to graze on pasture is healthier, for both cows and humans, than feeding them grain, and has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emis sions.
33

Raising animals on pasture also reduces the need for cultiva tion and transportation of feed, as well as storage and spreading of manure, all of which require the use of fossil fuels and result in the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. There is little regulatory incentive to reduce pollution from fac tory farms. While most pollutants emitted by farms are regulated under the federal Clean Air Act, most federal enforcement is focused on cars and non-farm factories.
34

The federal government has largely left it to the states to police factory farms,

35

while leaving research on the effects of industrial farming to academics.

36

In 2008 the Bush Administration published a rule exempting CAFOs from federal re porting requirements for hazardous emissions.
37

There is also concern that better environmental regulation will lead corporate farmers to move overseas, rather than stop polluting the air. Already, some of the biggest U.S. owned livestock corpora tions, including Perdue and Smithfield, are operating in Canada, Mexico, Europe, China and Brazil to reduce costs and avoid U.S. regulations.
38

The most efficient way to reduce air pollution from farms is to reduce the size and increase the number of farms. Many small farms scattered throughout the country will create less air pollu tion than huge, centralized factory farms. Sustainable livestock farms are pasture-based systems that rely on the animals to harvest feed and spread manure. This is the way livestock has been raised for thousands of years, right up until the 20th Century, and it re mains the model for sustainable farming and reducing farm-related air pollution. What You Can Do Citizen advocacy and consumer demand will be critical to reduc ing the pollution and other problems caused by industrial farming. As consumers, we can use our economic power by purchasing sus tainably-produced meat, eggs, dairy products and produce, thereby supporting farmers who work to minimize harm to the environment and human health. Visit the Eat Well Guide at www.eatwellguide.org to find out where to buy sustainably produced food close to home. Did You Know? The odor from swine manure contains 331 separate chemical compounds.
39

Tyson Foods recently agreed to pay an undisclosed sum in com pensation for air-quality damage to residents near one of its Ken tucky operations.
40

Four couples in Iowa also reached settlement in 2003 with a large hog operation related to excessive odors, flies, and toxic gas emissions caused by the facility.
41

A study in Sampson County, North Carolina indicated that ammonia concentrations in rainwater doubled between 1985 and 1996 a period during which hog operations in the state expanded rapidly.
42

For More Information Human Health Effects of Agriculture: Physical Diseases and Illnesses.

This 2001 report from The National Agriculture Safety Database at the Centers for Disease Control reviewed a number of the potential health effects from agriculture, including those from air pollution. Improving Air and Water Quality Can Be Two Sides of the Same Coin.

Industrial farms G, also called factory farms or CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) pollute the air in many ways, emitting foul odors, airborne particles, greenhouse gases, and numerous toxic chemicals. In the United States and elsewhere, industrial farms are leading producers of noxious substances such as nitrous oxide Fand ammonia. FUnited States farms alone produce more than 400 different gases, Fin addition to dust and airborne particles known as endotoxins generated during the handling and disposal of manure, Fthe production and use of animal feeds, and the shipping and distribution of farm products. Air pollution from industrial farms can cause health problems in agricultural workers, in residents of neighboring communities, and in farm animals. Although strategies exist to reduce air pollution, many industrial farms do little or nothing in this regard.

Mountains of Manure
The USDA estimates that more than 335 million tons of manure are produced annually on U.S. farms. FStored for long periods of time in giant tanks or lagoons, the animal waste decomposes and pollutes the air with hundreds of different gases. FThese storage facilities are often located next to animal confinement facilities, with the livestock and the people who work with them continually exposed to harmful gases. FAdditional air pollution is caused when huge amounts of stored manure are sprayed onto fields. Hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide are the major hazardous gases produced by decomposing manure. FThe EPA estimates that methane emissions from manure increased by 26 percent in the United States between 1990 and 2004, due primarily to larger, more concentrated dairy cow and swine facilities. FNorth Carolinas hog industry alone produces about 300 tons of ammonia each day. F

Air Pollution and Feed

While manure is the largest contributor to air pollution from factory farms, industrial animal feed also plays a role. In 2004, the EPA estimated that 20 percent of all man-made methane production resulted from livestock digestion, primarily cows, Fwhich on factory farms are kept alive with low-quality grain-based feed that their bodies were not designed to digest. This feed fattens animals cheaply but causes chronic indigestion that contributes to higher methane emissions. FProducing the vast crops required for this animal feed also pollutes the air with soil management techniques, especially the use of synthetic fertilizers, that were responsible for 68 percent of all nitrous oxide released into the atmosphere in 2004. F

Major Pollutants
Effects of air pollution vary depending on the specific pollutants involved, how they are vented into the atmosphere, and local conditions, such as weather patterns. Some of the principle air pollutants created by industrial livestock facilities are listed here, along with their effects.

Hydrogen Sulfide is a gas that limits the ability of cells to use oxygen. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide in high levels can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, neurologic and cardiac disorders, seizures, comas, and death. Chronic exposure at lower levels can cause low blood pressure, headache, chronic cough, and psychological disorders. FHydrogen sulfide is generally associated with hog production facilities. Ammonia can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. FIt is released in large quantities by chicken and hog CAFOs. Particulate matter is a leading cause of bronchitis and asthma in people who are regularly exposed to it and can also be a cause of cardiac disorders including arrhythmia and heart attacks. F Endotoxins, poisons produced by dying bacteria, are found in high concentrations on factory farms, but can cause respiratory problems even in extremely low concentrations. F Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of decomposing manure that causes shortness of breath and dizziness in humans, and often kills confined animals by asphyxiation. F Methane is a major contributor to climate change. According to the EPA, methane is 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide and is the second most important contributor to the greenhouse effect, now accounting for 16 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions from human activity.
F

Effects on Workers
As many as 70 percent of workers on CAFOs experience acute bronchitis, while 25 percent contract chronic bronchitis. FIn one study a host of other respiratory ailments were linked to working in indoor swine facilities for two hours a day over a period of six years, most likely as a result of dust inhalation. FSome of the gases produced on factory farms also are fatal in high concentrations. In the United States, at least 12 cases were documented over five years of workers dying from asphyxiation in manure pits. F

Effects on Communities
Residents of communities near hog farms often have increased respiratory problems. FA number of studies have demonstrated that fatigue, depression, and mood disturbances occur in higher proportions in people living near such facilities. FA study of one town in Utah found a four-fold increase in diarrhea-related hospitalizations and a three-fold increase in respiratory-related hospitalizations over a five-year period during which an industrial hog farm was constructed and started operating. FMinnesotas Pollution Control Agency has documented hydrogen sulfide concentrations in excess of World Health Organization maximum exposure standards on properties neighboring industrial hog facilities. FA 2006 study comparing two rural Iowa elementary schools, one located near a CAFO and one not, found a significant prevalence of asthma in children at the school near the factory farm. F

Environmental Effects
Air pollution from farms directly affects the environment, chiefly through the production of gaseous nitrogen and some of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. About 80 percent of U.S. ammonia emissions came from livestock manure. FAs a report from the National Academy of Sciences explains, atmospheric ammonia and nitric oxideboth produced on farmscontribute to what is known as the nitrogen cascade, in which each ammonia molecule can, in sequence, impact atmospheric visibility, soil acidity, forest productivity, terrestrial ecosystem biodiversity, stream acidity, and coastal productivity. FParticulate emissions from factory farms also contribute to haze. FThrough the production of greenhouse gasesprimarily methane and nitrous oxidethe agricultural industry was directly responsible for 6 percent of the U.S. contribution to global warming in 2004, according to the EPA. F

Remedies and Regulations

A number of techniques can reduce the emissions and effects of air pollutant from industrial farms, including better storage of manure, air-breaks positioned near farms, and increased attention to the nutritional needs of specific types of livestock. FAllowing cows to graze on pasture is healthier, for both cows and humans, than feeding them grain, and has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. FRaising animals on pasture also reduces the need for cultivation and transportation of feed, as well as storage and spreading of manure, all of which require the use of fossil fuels and result in the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. There is little regulatory incentive to reduce pollution from factory farms. While most pollutants emitted by farms are regulated under the federal Clean Air Act, most federal enforcement is focused on cars and non-farm factories. FThe federal government has largely left it to the states to police factory farms, Fwhile leaving research on the effects of industrial farming to academics. FIn 2008 the Bush Administration published a rule exempting CAFOs from federal reporting requirements for hazardous emissions. F There is also concern that better environmental regulation will lead corporate farmers to move overseas, rather than stop polluting the air. Already, some of the biggest U.S. owned livestock corporations, including Perdue and Smithfield, are operating in Canada, Mexico, Europe, China and Brazil to reduce costs and avoid U.S. regulations. F The most efficient way to reduce air pollution from farms is to reduce the size and increase the number of farms. Many small farms scattered throughout the country will create less air pollution than huge, centralized factory farms. Sustainable livestock farms are pasture-based systems that rely on the animals to harvest feed and spread manure. This is the way livestock has been raised for thousands of years, right up until the 20th Century, and it remains the model for sustainable farming and reducing farm-related air pollution.

Did You Know?

The odor from swine manure contains 331 separate chemical compounds. F Tyson Foods recently agreed to pay an undisclosed sum in compensation for air-quality damage to residents near one of its Kentucky operations. FFour couples in Iowa also reached settlement in 2003 with a large hog operation related to excessive odors, flies, and toxic gas emissions caused by the facility. F A study in Sampson County, North Carolina indicated that ammonia concentrations in rainwater doubled between 1985 and 1996a period during which hog operations in the state expanded rapidly. F

What You Can Do

Citizen advocacy and consumer demand will be critical to reducing the pollution and other problems caused by industrial farming. As consumers, we can use our economic power by purchasing sustainably-produced meat, eggs, dairy products and produce, thereby supporting farmers who work to minimize harm to the environment and human health.