Children face a special risk to CAFO air pollution

Soon confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) will be emptying their manure holding pits.  The stench and pollution can be detected for several miles from the CAFO and fields where the manure is spread. 

Although you may think that Iowa regulations would protect children from exposure to CAFOs, that is not the case.   The Iowa Code establishes separation distances, but those distances are inadequate in keeping odors and pollution away from communities and schools.  The smallest confinement operations have no separation distances.  For the largest operations, the separation is slightly over half a mile. 

The issue of CAFO manure is more than its horrendous stench.  Odors from the manure are carried on dust and other air particles.  The manure is loaded with toxic pollutants such as methane, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, particulate matter, fungi, bacteria, and endotoxins that become airborne. 

The physical reaction to the toxic chemicals results in nausea, running noses, sore eyes, respiratory distress, asthma attacks, and changes in mood.  Because of the heavy use of antimicrobials within a CAFO, bacteria have become antibiotic-resistant.  That can result in harmful life-threatening illnesses, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and drug-resistant E. coli.

Children face a special risk to air pollution because they are more active than adults when they are outdoors.  This means that they breathe more air.  Further, children’s lungs are developing.  When that air is polluted, children can face health effects, reduced ability of the lungs to fight off infections, and difficulty dealing with pollutants.  Researchers have found indicators of asthma based on residential and school exposure to pollution from hog operations.  The risks from exposure to CAFO toxins and odor can compound the risks and effects of COVID-19.

Given the risks to public health, it is time for a moratorium on building new CAFOs and expanding existing CAFOs.