Factory Farms: Destroying the Heartland // How Factory Farms Affect Human Health

Bacterial Infections

Numerous rural health organizations report astronomical illness rates among farm workers. It is little wonder that illness runs rampant among factory farm employees and people in the surrounding communities because they are so frequently exposed to animal excrement and the dangerous bacteria it carries—bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and campylobacter.

On the Delmarva peninsula in Maryland, Dr. Ellen Silbergeld found that more than 40 percent of “chicken catchers” and more than 50 percent of processing plant workers were infected with campylobacter, a germ that causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sometimes even death. When a group of community members was tested for the bacterium, every person who was tested had a “positive” result.32

Residents of a region known as “Feedlot Alley” in Alberta, Canada, have the highest rates of E. coli infections in the province. In fact, E. coli killed almost a dozen children there in one three-year period.33

Dangerous germs from the excrement of farmed animals have sickened entire communities. A 1993 outbreak of cryptosporidium in Milwaukee sickened a staggering 403,000 people and killed 104 others. Scientists blamed the tragedy on animal excrement from nearby factory farms.34

Factory farms also attract flies and other insects who may carry bacteria or diseases. In fact, a study conducted by the Ohio Department of Health found that houses within half a mile of chicken factory farms have 83 times the average number of house flies of houses that are not located near one of these facilities.

Pathogens Commonly Found in the 2.7 Trillion Pounds of Farmed-Animal Excrement Produced Each Year in the U.S.35
Pathogen Where It Comes From Human Symptoms
Salmonella Pig, cow, and poultry manure Vomiting, fever, and diarrhea
Campylobacter Pig, cow, and poultry manure Disease of intestinal tract and reproductive organs
Listeria Cow and poultry manure Meningitis
E. coli Pig and cow manure Urogenital tract infection and diarrhea
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis or enterocolitica Pig, cow, and poultry manure Gastroenteritis, arthritis, and lymphadenitis

Read about antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

32 Amy Ellis Nutt, “In the Soil, Water, Food, Air,” The Star-Ledger 8 Dec. 2003.
33 Andrew Nikiforuk and Danylo Hawaleshka, “Should We Fear the Factory Farm?” Reader’s Digest Canada Jun. 2001.
34 Wagner and Sutherly.
35 Angela Bowman, Keith Mueller, and Melanie Smith, “Increased Animal Waste Production From Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs): Potential Implications for Public and Environmental Health,” The Nebraska Center for Rural Health Research Occasional Paper Series Jan. 2000.