ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCE
Open Access
Community Perceptions of Health Risks Associated With a Petrochemical Plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania
of greenhouse gas emissions. The production and disposal of plastics also play a role in the exacerbation of water pollution, including the degradation of plastics into plastic debris and chemicals such as polystyrene and per- sistent organic pollutants (e.g., polychlori- nated biphenyls) (Alabi et al., 2019). Nurdles can enter waterways through unintentional spillage during production and transporta- tion; nurdles are found in bodies of freshwa- ter and saltwater throughout the world (Jiang et al., 2022). Although surveys have been used to mea- sure perceived environmental health risk (Carlton & Jacobson, 2013; Rundmo, 2002; Zeng et al., 2020), little research has been con- ducted to measure how proximity to a facility such as an ethylene cracker plant influences change in perceptions by community mem- bers regarding risk. Moreover, data are scarce on perceptions prior to a facility beginning operations. The objective of our study was Jeanine M. Buchanich, MEd, MPH, PhD Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh Hannah H. Covert, PhD Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh Rachel E. Macias, MPH Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh Nicholas R. Tedesco, MS Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh Carla Ng Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh Brandy Byrwa-Hill, PhD Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh Maureen Lichtveld, PhD Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh James P. Fabisiak, PhD Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
Abstract We surveyed residents in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, to explore their perceptions on health in the months leading up to the November 2022 opening of a petrochemical plant (specifically, an ethylene cracker plant) in the county. An online survey collecting demographics, self- reported health habits, perceived community and personal health status, and attitudes toward environmental health was distributed from July 2022 through August 2023. Descriptive statistics were generated and chi-square tests of independence were calculated. A total of 436 adult residents of Beaver County completed the survey. Respondents indicated concerns about their current exposure to air pollution (76%) and unsafe drinking water (65%). Approximately 36% and 25% of survey respondents indicated that they felt their health had been harmed by air pollution or unsafe drinking water, respectively. Perceived health and specific health habits were associated with agreeing or disagreeing with the statements “My health has been harmed by unsafe drinking water” and “My health has been harmed by air pollution.” These data illustrate that there is high concern about current and future exposure to pollution in Beaver County. These findings can assist community leaders in addressing and advocating for participant concerns about exposure to air and water pollution. A follow-up survey will be conducted to determine if there have been changes in perceptions since plant operations began. Keywords: air pollution, water pollution, environmental health risk, self- reported health status, community perceptions
Introduction Since 2010, the petrochemical industry and its related infrastructure have expanded. Ethylene cracker plants expose ethane derived from natural gas to high heat, result- ing in ethane splitting or cracking to form ethylene to produce plastic “nurdles,” tiny plastic pellets approximately 3–5 mm in size that are the building blocks for all plastic products and are shipped globally for manu- facturing (Jiang et al., 2022; Murtazashvili et
al., 2023). Despite progress toward reducing single-use plastics and increasing recycling, plastic consumption and waste production increased an estimated 60–99 million metric tons in 2015 and is projected to reach 155– 265 million metric tons by 2060 (Lebreton & Andrady, 2019). Plastic production generates air pollution that contains a variety of emissions (Ragotha- man & Anderson, 2017). As a result, in 2019 plastic production generated 850 metric tons
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Volume 87 • Number 9
https://doi.org/10.70387/001c.137190
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