title: Ranking and frequency of somatic symptoms in residents near composting sites with odor annoyance.
abstract: The presented study reports the prevalence of somatic symptoms in three study samples living in the vicinity of composting plants. Microorganisms were measured in the air of the residential areas closest to the plants at the same time an epidemiological investigation was performed in the neighborhood near (150 to 1,500 m) to three plants and in corresponding control residential areas of the same district. Nine hundred and seventy-nine residents were questioned about the odor annoyance in their vicinity. An instrument measuring somatic complaints (SOMS 2 acc. Rief et al., 2001) was used to determine the unexplained somatic symptoms of the past two years and a gender-independent Total Complaint Index (TCI) was calculated. The percentages of study population reporting somatic symptoms were higher in all six samples in comparison with the German population (Rief et al., 2001) and in samples living near composting sites compared to the corresponding control samples. The study sample living close to site A (exposed to bioaerosols and odor annoyance) had the highest rates of complaints. A difference could be seen in comparison to the corresponding control sample (TCI: p[Anear vs. Acontrol] = 0.001; Mann-Whitney). In this group breathlessness was reported more than twice as often as in the other three samples. Out of the five most frequently reported symptoms four corresponded to the five complaints the German population reports most frequently in all groups. Nausea was the fifth most reported symptom in both samples reporting annoying residential odors (Anear and Bnear). The type of somatic symptoms reported most often was influenced little by environmental odors and medically relevant bioaerosol concentrations, except for nausea in context with annoying residential odors. As expected frequency of reporting general somatic symptoms was influenced by the perceived environment near the three composting sites. Concerning the sum of bodily complaints (TCI) though, this was only significant in the group exposed to medically relevant concentrations of residential outdoor bioaerosols, which was accompanied by high rates for breathlessness. The SOMS2 was able to mirror measurable, medically relevant environmental exposures in study groups and showed fewer changes concerning annoying or presumed environmental exposures.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University of Giessen, Germany. caroline.herr@hygiene.med.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: Caroline E W
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Herr
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: zur Nieden
authors.forename: Rolf H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Bödeker
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gieler
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Eikmann
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000383:Agriculture; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology*; D009812:Odorants; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols