Living near landfills increases risk of lung cancer

People living within five kilometres of a landfill site are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer and respiratory diseases, a new study warns. Researchers in Italy evaluated the potential health effects of living near nine different landfills in the Lazio region, and therefore being exposed to air pollutants emitted by the waste treatment plants.

As many as 242,409 people were enrolled in the cohort from 1996 to 2008. The results showed a strong association between hydrogen sulphide (used as a surrogate for all pollutants emitted from the landfills) and deaths caused by lung cancer, as well as deaths and hospitalisation for respiratory diseases.

The annual average exposure level of hydrogen sulphide was 6.3 nanogramme per cubic litre (ng m3), compared to people living close to larger landfills in Rome whose levels averaged 45 ngm3.