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Steve Wing,¹ Stephanie Freedman,¹ and Lawrence Band ²

¹Department of Epidemiology and ²Department of Geography, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Abstract

Thousands of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have been constructed in eastern North Carolina. The fecal waste pit and spray field waste management systems used by these operations are susceptible to flooding in this low-lying region. To investigate the potential that flood events can lead to environmental dispersion of animal wastes containing numerous biologic and chemical hazards, we compared the geographic coordinates of 2,287 CAFOs permitted by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (DWQ) with estimates of flooding derived from digital satellite images of eastern North Carolina taken approximately 1 week after Hurricane Floyd dropped as much as 15-20 inches of rain in September 1999. Three cattle, one poultry, and 237 swine operations had geographic coordinates within the satellite-based flooded area. DWQ confirmed 46 operations with breached or flooded fecal waste pits in the same area. Only 20 of these 46 CAFOs were within the satellite-based estimate of the inundated area. CAFOs within the satellite-based flood area were located in 132 census block groups with a population of 171,498 persons in the 2000 census. African Americans were more likely than whites to live in areas with flooded CAFOs according to satellite estimates, but not according to DWQ reports. These areas have high poverty rates and dependence on wells for drinking water. Our analysis suggests that flood events have a significant potential to degrade environmental health because of dispersion of wastes from industrial animal operations in areas with vulnerable populations. Key words: agriculture, disasters, environmental justice, GIS, livestock, water pollution. Environ Health Perspect 110:387-391 (2002) . [Online 7 March 2002]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/110p387-391wing/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to S. Wing, Department of Epidemiology, 2101F Mcgavran-Greenberg Hall, School of Public Health, CB# 7435, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400. Telephone: (919) 966-7416. Fax: (919) 966-2089. E-mail: steve_wing@unc.edu

The authors are grateful to E. Gregory for computer programming, cartography, and data management, to M. Mirabelli for computer programming, and to K. Morland for statistical consulting.

This research was supported by the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) , by the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant R25-ES08206-04 under the Environmental Justice: Partnerships for Communication program.

Received 16 July 2001 ; accepted 4 October 2001.