Journal Article

Brownfield land and health: A systematic review of the literature

Wang, Weiyi, Davies, Bethan, Fecht, Daniela, Kamanyire, Robie, Dack, Sarah, Mudway, Ian, Walder, Holly

2023

Overview

Brownfield land is vacant or derelict land that was previously used for industrial or commercial purposes. Brownfield land is increasingly being targeted for housing development, however, depending on the previous use and remediation activity, it might pose potential risks to the health of residents on or in the vicinity of redeveloped sites. This systematic review of the literature synthesises the empirical evidence on the associations between brownfield land and health. We systematically searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, Global Health, Web of Science, Scopus and GreenFile using a study protocol registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022286826). The search strategy combined the keywords \"brownfield\" and its interchangeable terms such as \"previously developed land\", and any health outcomes such as \"respiratory diseases\" and \"mortality\". Publications identified from the search were screened for eligibility by two authors, and data were extracted from the selected articles. Study quality was assessed based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Of the 1,987 records retrieved, 6 studies met the inclusion criteria; 3 ecological studies, 2 cross-sectional studies, and 1 longitudinal study. There was considerable heterogeneity in the exposure metrics and health outcomes assessed. All studies found significant positive associations between brownfield land proximity or density with at least one health relevant outcome, including poorer self-reported general health, increased mortality rates, increased birth defects, increased serum metal levels, and accelerated immune ageing. Brownfield land may negatively affect the health of nearby residents. The epidemiological evidence on health effects associated with brownfield land in local communities, however, remains inconclusive and limited. Further studies are required to build the evidence base to inform future housing policies and urban planning.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Aging / Aging (metallurgy) / Biology and Life Sciences / Birth defects / Brownfields / Clinical assessment / Community / Congenital anomalies / Congenital defects / Cross-Sectional Studies / Data quality / Derelict land / Earth Sciences / Ecological studies / Ecology and Environmental Sciences / Environmental aspects / Epidemiology / Forecasts and trends / Global health / Health / Health risks / Health status / Heterogeneity / Housing / Housing development / Housing developments / Housing policy / Humans / Industry / Land / Literature reviews / Local communities / Longitudinal Studies / Medicine and Health Sciences / Metal concentrations / Metals / Mortality / Mortality rates / Observational studies / Population / Proximity / Public health / Quality assessment / Redevelopment / Research and Analysis Methods / Residential development / Residents / Respiratory diseases / Risk assessment / Search methods / Serum / Social Sciences / Systematic review / Urban planning / Urban policy / Urban population