Abstract

A health survey of 2,039 persons in 606 households located near the Stringfellow Hazardous Waste Disposal site, Riverside County, California, and in a reference community was conducted to assess whether rates of adverse health outcomes were elevated among persons living near the site. Data included a household questionnaire, medical records of reported cancers and pregnancies, and birth and death certificates. The study areas appeared similar with respect to mortality, cancer incidence, and pregnancy outcomes. In contrast, rate ratios were greater than 1.5 for 5 of 19 reported diseases, i.e., ear infections, bronchitis, asthma, angina pectoris, and skin rashes. Prevalence odds ratios for 23 symptoms were uniformly greater than 1.0, and 8 symptoms had odds ratios greater than 1.5: blurred vision, pain in ears, daily cough for more than a month, nausea, frequent diarrhea, unsteady when walking, and frequent urination. The apparent broad-based elevation in reported diseases and symptoms may reflect increased perception or recall of conditions by respondents living near the site. These results indicate that future community-based health studies should include medical and psychosocial assessment instruments sufficient to distinguish between changes in health status and effects of resident reporting tendency.