Complaints associated with animal feeding facilities as reported to Ohio local health departments, 2006-2008

Confined animal feeding facilities of all sizes have long been targeted as a source of human health and quality of life concerns. In order to describe and quantify these concerns in Ohio, a retrospective survey of local health departments was conducted focusing on reported complaints associated with animal feeding facilities. During 2006-2008, the most common complaints pertaining to any type of animal feeding facility were air quality and odor outside the home, followed by manure storage and application issues. The study described here showed that larger permitted livestock feeding facilities were not a major source of health and nuisance complaints associated with animal feeding facilities as reported to Ohio local health departments. Local health departments received few health complaints associated with any animal feeding facility. None were validated or confirmed by a physician in 2008.