Table 2

Relative risk estimates for community exposure to landfills and incinerators

Health effect

Distance from the source

Relative Risk (Confidence Interval)

Level of confidence**

Landfills

Congenital malformations [24]

All congenital malformations

Within 2 km

1.02 (99% CI = 1.01-1.03)

Moderate

Neural tube defects

Within 2 km

1.06 (99% CI = 1.01-1.12)

Moderate

Hypospadias and epispadias

Within 2 km

1.07 (99% CI = 1.04-1.11)

Moderate

Abdominal wall defects

Within 2 km

1.05 (99% CI = 0.94-1.16)

Moderate

Gastroschisis and exomphalos*

Within 2 km

1.18 (99% CI = 1.03-1.34)

Moderate

Low birth weight [24]

Within 2 km

1.06 (99% CI = 1.052-1.062)

High

Very low birth weight

Within 2 km

1.04 (99% CI = 1.03-1.06)

High

Incinerators

Congenital malformations [45]

Facial cleft

Within 10 km

1.30 (95% CI = 1.06-1.59)

Moderate

Renal dysplasia

Within 10 km

1.55 (95% CI = 1.10-2.20)

Moderate

Cancer [30]

All cancer

Within 3 km

1.035 (95% CI = 1.03-1.04)

Moderate

Stomach cancer

Within 3 km

1.07 (95% CI = 1.02-1.13)

Moderate

Colorectal cancer

Within 3 km

1.11 (95% CI = 1.07-1.15)

Moderate

Liver cancer

Within 3 km

1.29 (95% CI = 1.10-1.51)

High

Lung cancer

Within 3 km

1.14 (95% CI = 1.11-1.17)

Moderate

Soft-tissue sarcoma

Within 3 km

1.16 (95% CI = 0.96-1.41)

High

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Within 3 km

1.11 (95% CI = 1.04-1.19)

High

*The original estimates were given for "surgical corrections of..". **The following scale for the level of confidence has been adopted: very high, high, moderate, low, very low.

Porta et al. Environmental Health 2009 8:60   doi:10.1186/1476-069X-8-60