Prevalence of Health Problems in Children Living Near Love Canal

ABSTRACT

In order to assess the potential health impact of a hazardous waste disposal site, the parents of Love Canal and control children were interviewed about their children's health. The study population consisted of 523 Love Canal and 440 control children. The Love Canal population was composed of two groups. The homeowner group was primarily white and middle class. The renter group was primarily black and lived in low income housing. The two Love Canal groups were matched with two control groups from the same city for income, race, and education. The mean age of Love Canal children was 117.6 ± SE 2.2 months compared to 98.0 ± 2.4 months for control children.

Interviewers questioned parents concerning children's health problems which were diagnosed by a physician. Seven health problems were more prevalent in Love Canal children after controlling for age, race, sex, household size, income and education. Adjusted odds ratios were: seizures, 2.45; learning problems, 1.51; hyperactivity (homeowners only), 2.95; eye irritation, 1.96; skin rashes, 2.25; abdominal pain, 2.09; and incontinence, 3.27. No health problem was identified as more common in controls.

Intensity of exposure was defined in two ways: (1) distance of the home from the canal and (2) proximity of homes to possible paths of chemical migration (wet homes). Six of seven problems that were found elevated in Love Canal children showed a gradient with distance from the canal and six were more prevalent in wet homes. The fact that these health problems showed a dose response strengthens the association of these problems with residence in the Love Canal neighborhood.

The problems of respondent bias, recall bias and stress in a community alarmed by exposure to toxic chemicals are discussed. The problems of asssessing health impact by survey methods in such a community are discussed, and methods that could help to reduce bias are suggested.