IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v16y2019i18p3429-d267555.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Rapid Health Impact Assessment of a Proposed Poultry Processing Plant in Millsboro, Delaware

Author

Listed:
  • Leah Baskin-Graves

    (Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland, 255 Valley Drive, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

  • Haley Mullen

    (Environmental Science and Policy, University of Maryland, 0220 Symons Hall, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

  • Aaron Aber

    (Environmental Science and Policy, University of Maryland, 0220 Symons Hall, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

  • Jair Sinisterra

    (Public Health Science Program, University of Maryland, 255 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20740, USA)

  • Kamran Ayub

    (Public Health Science Program, University of Maryland, 255 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20740, USA)

  • Roxana Amaya-Fuentes

    (Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Ave, NW, 7th floor, Washington, DC 20052, USA)

  • Sacoby Wilson

    (Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland, 255 Valley Drive, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

Abstract

In 2013, Allen Harim Foods purchased the former site of a Vlasic Pickle plant in Millsboro, Delaware, and proposed to convert the site into a poultry processing plant that would process approximately two million birds weekly. This generated concerns about the proposed plant’s potential to impact health and quality of life among residents. We conducted a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) of the proposed plant to assess baseline environmental health issues in the host community and projected impacts. The scoping and baseline assessment revealed social, economic, and health disparities in the region. We also determined that residents in the area were already underserved and overburdened with pollution from multiple environmental hazards near the proposed plant including two sites contaminated with hazardous wastes, a power plant, and another poultry processing plant. The projected size and amount of poultry to be processed at the plant would likely cause increased levels of air, soil and water pollution, additional odor issues, and increased traffic and related pollution and safety issues. The information generated from the HIA formed the basis of a campaign to raise awareness about potential problems associated with the new facility and to foster more engagement of impacted residents in local decision-making about the proposed plant. In the end, the HIA helped concerned residents oppose the new poultry processing plant. This case study provides an example of how HIAs can be used as a tool to educate residents, raise awareness about environmental justice issues, and enhance meaningful engagement in local environmental decision-making processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Leah Baskin-Graves & Haley Mullen & Aaron Aber & Jair Sinisterra & Kamran Ayub & Roxana Amaya-Fuentes & Sacoby Wilson, 2019. "Rapid Health Impact Assessment of a Proposed Poultry Processing Plant in Millsboro, Delaware," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-18, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:18:p:3429-:d:267555
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/18/3429/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/18/3429/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Osterberg, D. & Wallinga, D., 2004. "Addressing externalities from swine production to reduce public health and environmental impacts," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(10), pages 1703-1708.
    2. Chris G. Buse & Valerie Lai & Katie Cornish & Margot W. Parkes, 2019. "Towards environmental health equity in health impact assessment: innovations and opportunities," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 64(1), pages 15-26, January.
    3. Justyna Skóra & Katarzyna Matusiak & Piotr Wojewódzki & Adriana Nowak & Michael Sulyok & Anna Ligocka & Małgorzata Okrasa & Janusz Hermann & Beata Gutarowska, 2016. "Evaluation of Microbiological and Chemical Contaminants in Poultry Farms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Wing, S. & Horton, R.A. & Muhammad, N. & Grant, G.R. & Tajik, M. & Thu, K., 2008. "Integrating epidemiology, education, and organizing for environmental justice: Community health effects of industrial hog operations," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(8), pages 1390-1397.
    5. Horton, R.A. & Wing, S. & Marshall, S.W. & Brownley, K.A., 2009. "Malodor as a trigger of stress and negative mood in neighbors of industrial hog operations," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(S3), pages 610-615.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Heather Lochotzki & Karen Patricia Williams & Cynthia G. Colen & Olorunfemi Adetona & Charleta B. Tavares & Georgina M. Ginn & Rejeana Haynes & Wansoo Im & Tanya Bils & Darryl B. Hood, 2022. "A Framework for Interfacing and Partnering with Environmental Justice Communities as a Prelude to Human Health and Hazard Identification in the Vulnerable Census Tracts of Columbus, Ohio," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-18, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Małgorzata Okrasa & Justyna Szulc & Agnieszka Brochocka & Beata Gutarowska, 2021. "Application of Olfactometry to Assess the Anti-Odor Properties of Filtering Facepiece Respirators Containing Activated Carbon Nonwovens," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Mary A. Fox & L. Elizabeth Brewer & Lawrence Martin, 2017. "An Overview of Literature Topics Related to Current Concepts, Methods, Tools, and Applications for Cumulative Risk Assessment (2007–2016)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-28, April.
    3. Valérie Eijrond & Liesbeth Claassen & Joke van der Giessen & Danielle Timmermans, 2019. "Intensive Livestock Farming and Residential Health: Experts’ Views," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-16, September.
    4. Ben Cave & Ryngan Pyper & Birgitte Fischer-Bonde & Sarah Humboldt-Dachroeden & Piedad Martin-Olmedo, 2021. "Lessons from an International Initiative to Set and Share Good Practice on Human Health in Environmental Impact Assessment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-23, February.
    5. M. Renée Umstattd Meyer & Tyler Prochnow & Andrew C. Pickett & Cynthia K. Perry & Christina N. Bridges Hamilton & Christiaan G. Abildso & Keshia M. Pollack Porter, 2021. "The Effects of Play Streets on Social and Community Connectedness in Rural Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, September.
    6. Dominik Dietler & Ruth Lewinski & Sophie Azevedo & Rebecca Engebretsen & Fritz Brugger & Jürg Utzinger & Mirko S. Winkler, 2020. "Inclusion of Health in Impact Assessment: A Review of Current Practice in Sub-Saharan Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-20, June.
    7. Jeffrey Ansloos & Annelies Cooper, 2023. "Is Suicide a Water Justice Issue? Investigating Long-Term Drinking Water Advisories and Suicide in First Nations in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-14, February.
    8. Erin Lebow-Skelley & Sarah Yelton & Brandi Janssen & Esther Erdei & Melanie A. Pearson, 2020. "Identifying Issues and Priorities in Reporting Back Environmental Health Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-19, September.
    9. Kwideok Han & Jeffrey Vitale & Yong-Geon Lee & Inbae Ji, 2022. "Measuring the Economic Value of the Negative Externality of Livestock Malodor in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-13, August.
    10. Elanor Starmer & Timothy A. Wise, "undated". "Living High on the Hog: Factory Farms, Federal Policy, and the Structural Transformation of Swine Production," GDAE Working Papers 07-04, GDAE, Tufts University.
    11. Dana H. Z. Williamson, 2022. "Using the Community Engagement Framework to Understand and Assess EJ-Related Research Efforts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-26, February.
    12. Gregor Wolbring & Simerta Gill, 2023. "Potential Impact of Environmental Activism: A Survey and a Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-46, February.
    13. Dana H. Z. Williamson & Emma X. Yu & Candis M. Hunter & John A. Kaufman & Kelli Komro & Na’Taki Osborne Jelks & Dayna A. Johnson & Matthew O. Gribble & Michelle C. Kegler, 2020. "A Scoping Review of Capacity-Building Efforts to Address Environmental Justice Concerns," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-23, May.
    14. Ana Maria Carmen Ilie & Norma McCarthy & Leslie Velasquez & Masoom Moitra & Holger Michael Eisl, 2022. "Air pollution exposure assessment at schools and playgrounds in Williamsburg Brooklyn NYC, with a view to developing a set of policy solutions," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 12(4), pages 838-852, December.
    15. Beata Gutarowska & Justyna Szulc & Adriana Nowak & Anna Otlewska & Małgorzata Okrasa & Anita Jachowicz & Katarzyna Majchrzycka, 2018. "Dust at Various Workplaces—Microbiological and Toxicological Threats," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-19, April.
    16. Margot W. Parkes & Sandra Allison & Henry G. Harder & Dawn Hoogeveen & Diana Kutzner & Melissa Aalhus & Evan Adams & Lindsay Beck & Ben Brisbois & Chris G. Buse & Annika Chiasson & Donald C. Cole & Sh, 2019. "Addressing the Environmental, Community, and Health Impacts of Resource Development: Challenges across Scales, Sectors, and Sites," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-27, March.
    17. Brisbois, Ben & Hoogeveen, Dawn & Allison, Sandra & Cole, Donald & Fyfe, Trina M. & Harder, Henry G. & Parkes, Margot W., 2021. "Storylines of research on resource extraction and health in Canada: A modified metanarrative synthesis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    18. Elise Pohl & Sang-Ryong Lee, 2024. "Local and Global Public Health and Emissions from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in the USA: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(7), pages 1-18, July.
    19. Egide Kalisa & Stephen Archer & Edward Nagato & Elias Bizuru & Kevin Lee & Ning Tang & Stephen Pointing & Kazuichi Hayakawa & Donnabella Lacap-Bugler, 2019. "Chemical and Biological Components of Urban Aerosols in Africa: Current Status and Knowledge Gaps," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-21, March.
    20. Cynthia Morgan & Ann Wolverton, 2005. "Water Quality Trading in the United States," NCEE Working Paper Series 200507, National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, revised Jun 2005.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:18:p:3429-:d:267555. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.