The effects of pollutants on health : a spatial analysis

Abstract

Being a small island with high population density, the scale and complexity of the waste management issue in the Maltese Islands has various health consequences and requires solutions in kind. In recent years the public awareness about the potential effects of waste management has been on the increase. The primary objective of this dissertation is to determine whether inhabitants residing close to the Maghtab landfill site are at a greater risk of suffering from respiratory anomalies than the rest of the population living further away. The study also involves various in-depth interviews conducted with waste and health professionals as well as a quantitative questionnaire distributed amongst the general public of six different localities. By means of the questionnaire it was possible to obtain the relevant information related to health, and environmental aspects and how they are perceived or affected. Other issues discussed in this study are nuisance, public awareness and perception and confounding factors. An analysis of the data gathered from the questionnaire was conducted with the aim of determining a relationship between respiratory anomalies and distance from the Maghtab dumpsite. Prevalence and risks were calculated for the proximal one to three kilometre zones around the Maghtab dumpsite. The study revealed that a higher prevalence of inhabitants with respiratory anomalies was present within the one-kilometre zone around the Maghtab landfill as compared to the two more distant zones for the rest of the population. The difference was marginally significant. The study showed that there could be a slight increase in the risk of residents with respiratory anomalies for inhabitants residing close to the Maghtab landfill.