An analysis of the environmental threats posed by industry in Kocaeli, Turkey M. Sarper Erdogan, Cavit Yavuz, Cigdem Caglayan, Nilay Etiler and Onur Hamzaoglu Department of Public Health, Kocaeli University, Derince, Turkey Abstract Purpose – This paper has been produced to enumerate and discuss threats which are caused by industry and may affect health in the province of Kocaeli. Design/methodology/approach – Industries in the province, depending on their function, were grouped into sectors. Air, water and solid waste pollutants produced by each sector were assessed for each region of the province. Findings – Of the 7,400 industries in the province, only 1,198 are registered with the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry and of this number only a minority are subject to controls by the Ministry of the Environment through the Kocaeli Provincial Directorate of the Environment (KPDE). Data on pollutants were obtained from the KPDE. Liquid waste was controlled in 370 firms (5 per cent) of all industries in the province, air quality in 444 (6 per cent) and dangerous waste in 4 (0.06 per cent). A total of 41 firms were designated as having dangerous pollution profiles. Practical implications – These figures suggest that industrial development in the province of Kocaeli has not been accompanied by adequate environmental protection. Stricter control for present and future industries is urgently required. Attention must also be directed at zoning industrial and residential areas to safeguard human health and the environment. Originality/value – Provides information on environmental threats caused by industry in Turkey. Keywords Environmental health and safety, Turkey, Developing countries Paper type Research paper Introduction Environmental threats have been classified as physical, chemical and biological. Risk in this paper refers to an estimate of the chances of harm to the environment or biota caused by industrial activities as well as the extent of the harm. Risks that can be qualitatively estimated and provide clues about what protective measures should be instituted. In that context, identifying the threat that constitutes the source of the risk is the first step in determining and assessing the health risks to the environment (Hohenemser et al., 1987; Wakefield and Elliot, 2000; Yolsal and Orkun, 1998). In Turkey the environmental effects of industry are regulated by Environment Law 2872 (Guler and Cobanoglu, 1996). The law includes by-laws protecting air quality (BAQ), control of water pollution (BCWP), control of dangerous wastes (BCDW), control of solid wastes (BCSW), etc. Authority to enforce the act and its by-laws is The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-7835.htm We are indebted to the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry for providing a list of the industries in the province of Kocaeli and to the Kocaeli Provincial Directorate of the Environment for providing data on industrial pollutants in the province. We would also like to thank Dr John Martin of Canada for reading and revising this article. MEQ 16,1 26 Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal Vol. 16 No. 1, 2005 pp. 26-36 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1477-7835 DOI 10.1108/14777830510574326