Objective To provide a scientific thought and method on environment and health fields for China that referred to the elucidation of health study on soil pollution event of the Love Canal in the US that carried out by the New York State Department of Health.
Method The status of environmental pollution and health effects were studied by the methods of environmental investigation, toxicological experiment, questionnaire survey, laboratory examination and so on.
Results More than 200 organic compounds were presented in the soil and sediment samples. Animal studies related to the Love Canal landfill had not demonstrated any consistent pattern of toxic effects from volatile or nonvolatile compounds of contaminated surface soils. A slight to moderate excess of spontaneous abortions and low birth weight infants occurred in households on the 99th Street bordering the landfill and in homes built on former wetlands in the canal area. No new incidences of other diseases were found.
Conclusions Soil pollution event involves many environmental media and large sampling amount. Chemical migration is related to soil types. It's necessary to develop a comprehensive epidemiological surveillance program to monitor the health impact on environmental exposure to toxic agents throughout the country.
DownLoad: