Environmental and Occupational Health

Question 1

define environment

Answer 1

a system of interdependent living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components in a given area over a given period of time, including all physical, chemical and biological interactions

Question 2

describe hazard vs risk

Answer 2

• hazard
  
  • a source of danger (factor) that has the potential to adversely affect health;
  • a qualitative term expressing the potential of an environmental or occupational agent to harm the health of certain individuals if the exposure level is high enough and/or if other conditions apply
• risk
  
  • a quantitative probability that a health effect will occur after an individual has been exposed to a specified amount of a hazard

Question 3

describe the relationship between risk and hazard

Answer 3

• a hazard results in a risk only if there has been exposure
• there is no risk if the hazard is contained or if there is no opportunity for exposure

Question 4

list biological hazards, chemical hazards, physical hazards, mechanical hazards and psychosocial hazards

Answer 4

Question 5

name global environmental hazards

Answer 5

• overcrowding
• migration
• poor sanitation
• climate change
• broad use of pesticides
• urbanization
• industrialization
• free trade policies

Question 6

describe the routes of exposure for environmental vs occupational hazards

Answer 6

• environmental hazards
  
  • air (indoor vs outdoor), land, water (groundwater vs surface)
• occupational hazards
  
  • inhalation, adsorption, ingestion, injection

Question 7

list the sources of exposure

Answer 7

• air
  
  • respiratory diseases
  • compounded by environmental conditions such as overcrowding, poor ventilation, confined spaces
• water
  
  • single largest biological environmental health problem; spread of fecal bacteria from an infected person to others via water
• food
  
  • low noninfectious levels of bacteria in water can grow into high infectious levels in food to cause sickness (minimal infectious dose)
  • food bacterial growth dependent on 3 factors:
    
    • type of food
    • ability of bacteria to grow in the food
    • temperature

Question 8

name statistics with contaminated water

Answer 8

• 1 in 10 people lack sufficient access to water
• 1 in 3 people lack sufficient access to sanitation
• 1.5 million children die from a lack of clean water and safe sanitation every year

Question 9

contrast the goals of the physician, PH practitioner and env. health specialist

Answer 9

Question 10

describe the traditional medical model

Answer 10

Question 11

describe the patient-centered model

Answer 11

Question 12

describe the ecosystem health model

Answer 12

Question 13

describe prevention/control hierarchy of EOH hazards

Answer 13

1. eliminate the hazard
2. control the hazard/exposure
3. training
4. (last resort) personal protective equipment, (PPE)