Do Poultry CAFOs Contribute to Negative Human Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Concentrated food animal production (CAFO) facilities are a source of environmental and human health hazards. Despite the growing evidence that CAFOs present health and environmental risks to both farm workers and proximate communities, CAFO regulations and their enforcement have not adequately protected human health and the environment (Sciablabba, 2022). To our knowledge there have been no comprehensive literature reviews focusing on poultry CAFOs and human health outcomes since 2015. Previous literature reviews primarily focused on swine or livestock CAFOs with very little to no focus on poultry. Therefore, we reviewed the literature published between the years of 2015 and 2023 identifying health outcomes associated with working on or living near poultry CAFOs: respiratory outcomes, gastrointestinal outcomes and community or public health outcomes. Methods: We developed a list of search terms that covered synonyms for (i) concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), (ii) poultry, and (iii) human health outcomes of interest and then searched: PubMed,Web of Science, CAB Direct, and Agricola databases for peer-reviewed articles between the years of 2015 and 2023. Results: We screened the titles/abstracts of 2007 articles; 23 studies were read in full text and 12 were identified as eligible and included in this review. In 9 out of 12 studies the authors found a negative impact on human health as a result of living near or working on a CAFO. The studies reviewed identified a correlation between poultry CAFO exposure and respiratory issues, odor annoyance, presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) E. coli in urine samples, and evidence of antibiotic absorption. Conclusions: Overall this literature review found that there is a correlation between working on or being in close proximity to a poultry CAFO and a negative health outcome. Further research examining the relationship between poultry production and human health effects on the workers and communities concentrated around these facilities is warranted.