Health risks for the population living near petrochemical industrial complexes. 2. Adverse health outcomes other than cancer

The present literature review was aimed at assessing whether living in the vicinity of petrochemical industries complexes - including oil refineries - is associated with a higher incidence of adverse health effects other than cancer. The available scientific literature on this potential association was reviewed by means of PubMed and Scopus databases. It is known that air pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and dioxide, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and various metals are commonly detected in the surroundings of these complexes. Most of the reviewed studies report increases in the prevalence of asthma and other respiratory problems for children and adults living in the surroundings of the petrochemical complexes, as well as reproductive outcomes in pregnant women. Based on this, as well as on similar conclusions also found for cancer incidence and mortality, we do recommend to conduct all the necessary studies for each specific complex in order -if necessary- to take the appropriate measurements to significantly reduce the levels of air pollutants can be achieved. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.