Perception of environmental health risks related to living in the vinicity of communal waste incineration plant - Part II.

OBJECTIVE: The analysis of the environmental risk perception by residents living in the vicinity of the Solid Communal Waste Utilisation Plant (ZUSOK) in Warsaw. The study was to reveal the factors related to perception the incinerator as a cause of frequent illnesses in the families and to intention of changing the place of residence because of the plant's neighbourhood. MATERIAL AND METHODS: questionnaire survey of 501 respondents, who have been living in the radius of 3km from the incinerator since at least 2 years prior to its activation. The multiple logistic regression method was applied to indentify demographic factors and opinions concerning the environment and incinerator activity associated with the aforementioned declarations. RESULTS: 44% of respondents with frequent illnesses in the family claimed that their problems may be caused by incinerator activity. This declaration is significantly negatively related to: older age (45 years or more) combined with period of residence in the district longer than 40 years (OR=0.4) and positively related to: believes that health problems in community would increase in the course of incinerator activity (OR=7.3), to continuous/very frequent smelling of unpleasant odour in the air (OR=2.8) and considering the odour as a serious disturbance caused by incinerator' (OR=2.8). About 28% of respondents would change the place of residence because of the incinerator's vicinity. The frequency of this declaration increases with: shorter distance between residence and plant (OR=2.0), negative attitude towards the idea of incinerator construction (OR=2.9), opinion that ZUSOK emits to environment large quantities of harmful substances (OR=2.5), health consequences will increase in the course of incinerator activity (OR=3.1), continuous/very frequent smelling smoke in the breathing air (OR=2.6), complaining about the transport of ashes from the incinerator (OR=2.3). People older than 45 years and living in the district more then 40 years significantly less frequent declare possibility of move (OR=0.5). CONCLUSION: Risk perception reduction necessitates taking some educational actions for inhabitants and verifying their complaints about quality of air.