Exploring Chicken Litter Management and the Impact of Chicken Litter on Human Health in Chittagong Markets, Bangladesh

Abstract

The study is primarily focused on chicken litter management in local markets in Chittagong Bangladesh. The focus of participants is chicken shopkeepers from different markets in Chittagong to explore chicken litter technologies that chicken shopkeepers use and the health issues that they face from chicken litter. Those technologies are composting biogas and fish food. Among them, the main technology that shopkeepers use the most is composting chicken litter to convert it into fertilizers. There are 221 samples collected from 9 upazilas in the Chittagong district market, one waste dump site, and a farm in Chittagong. As a result, 36.20% of shopkeepers manage chicken litter from their shops and Anandabazar Waste Dumpsite uses poultry waste and organic waste to produce fertilizer, and Nasim Khan Poultry converts it into both biogas and fertilizer. Moreover, the study also tested pathogens of Escherichia coli and salmonella in chicken poops from Chittagong markets because these two pathogens can share a foodborne disease with humans. Anyway, E.coli and Salmonella spp. are absent in chicken litter. However, improper chicken litter management impacts many factors, including producing pollutants, harming human health, and hurting the environment. This study found out that 41 of 221 chicken shopkeepers faced some diseases like skin irritation, breathing problems, fever, and vomiting in their chicken shops. Nevertheless, some shopkeepers are under hygienic conditions due to the shortage of space, water, masks, and gloves which leads them to face pollution issues including air (24.89%) and water pollution (6.79%). Many shopkeepers don’t manage chicken litter due to many challenges including less knowledge, less association between organization and government, and lack of space and budget to manage chicken litter.