Environmental Health Flashcards
The totality of circumstances surrounding an organism or group of organisms, especially the combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth, development, and
survival of organisms.
Environment
Everything that is around us including the living and non-living things
Environment
Addresses all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviors
Environmental Health
Factors of envi health
▪ Pollutants in air
▪ Pollutants of water ▪ pollutants in soil
▪ pollutants in food
Environmental Hazards; e.g. viruses, bacteria, other disease-causing organisms
Biological
Environmental Hazards: lifestyle
social
Environmental Hazards;harmful natural and artificial chemicals
Chemical
environmental hazards; natural disasters, UV radiation
physical
what are the environmental hazards
biological, physical, social, chemical
conditions in the environment where people are born
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)
affects a wide range of health, functioning and quality of life, outcome and risk in their community
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)
It is a major determinant of our health and well-being
environment
More than __________ around the world would die every year because they
live or work in unhealthy environments
12 million people
percent deaths among children under five due to modifiable environmental factors.
28% of deaths among children under five
percent of global deaths due to modifiable environmental factors.
24% of global deaths
Historically, diseases with the largest absolute burden from environmental exposure included:
o Diarrhea
o Lower respiratory infections o Malaria
Burden is now dominated by
non- communicable diseases
Gove health effects of asbestos
o Breathing difficulties o Lung cancer
o Mesothelioma
Give health effects of lead
o Developmental delays and behavioral problems in children
o Increased blood pressure in adults
Exposure Response Paradigm
measures the causality
exposure response paradigm
hazards, exposure pathway, dose- response, health effects
may be physical, social, chemical, and biological
Hazards
may be through ingestion, absorption, skin penetration, and inhalation
Exposure Pathway
health problems at different exposure levels
▪ exposure is determined through the duration, frequency, and body size of the individual
Dose-Response
combination of hazards, exposure pathway, dose- response
health effects
According to WHO, each year _________ air pollution is responsible for nearly _______ deaths around the globe
indoor, outdoor, 7 million
any matter found in the atmosphere other than oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor, carbon dioxide and the inert gases in their natural or normal concentrations, that is detrimental to health or the environment
Air Pollutant
examples of air pollutant
smoke, dust, soot, cinders, fly ash, solid particles or any kind, gases, fumes, chemical mists, steam and radioactive substances
Sources of air pollutants
natural, anthropogenic, stationary, mobile
pollution caused by the nature such as forest fires, storms, and pollen
Natural
from fossil fuels, burning processes, air, sea, and land transport, operational processes, and any industrial activities
Anthropogenic
kinds of stationary sources
fugitive, point and area sources
emits over 10 tons of any single toxic pollutant, or over 25 tons of any combination of toxic pollutants per year.
Point sources
Fugitive emission is defined as the unintentional and undesirable emission, leakage or discharge of
gases or vapors from pressure- containing equipment or facilities
Fugitive sources
is a concentrated number of smaller toxic sources, each emitting less than 10 tons per year of any single toxic and less than 25 tons per year of combined toxics,
Area sources
comes from automobiles such as cars, airplanes, and ships
Mobile
Criteria Air Pollutants
▪ Ubiquitous – always present in the environment
▪ Omnipresent – widespread in the community
▪ Imposes the greatest health effects to humans
▪ Responsible for most air pollution problems in the community
▪ Emitted directly into the air particulates, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbon
▪ Sources are limited; industry specific ▪ More toxic and carcinogenic
o 188 chemicals (e.g., formaldehyde, benzene, cadmium)
Hazardous Air Pollutants
Major Air Pollutants
carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrous oxide, particulate matter
it can cause Breathing problems, respiratory problems, aggravation existing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, alteration in respiratory defenses
sulfur dioxide
from Burning of fossil fuels, production of
paper, cement and aluminum, and burning of fuel containing sulfur which contributes to global warming
sulfur dioxide
▪ Colorless gas with sharp odor
▪ Can be converted to fine particulate
sulfate
sulfur dioxide
▪ Colorless and odorless gas
▪ Contributes to the formation of smog
Carbon Monoxide
from Volcanoes and forest fires
▪ Binds reversibly to hemoglobin
▪ Results in low birth weight and
increased in fetal deaths and impairs learning ability
Carbon Monoxide
Irritation of the respiratory airway, eyes,
nose, throat, susceptibility to lung infections, reduced lung efficacy
Nitrogen Dioxide
▪ Reddish brown gas
▪ Acid rain
▪ Fossil fuel burning, motor vehicle
exhaust, unvented combustion
Nitrogen Dioxide
largest contributor of
nitrogen emissions
Motor transport;
▪ Greenhouse gas
▪ Inert at low tempt; destroyed in the
atmosphere by _______
Nitrous Oxide; photolysis
Mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air
Particulate Matter
Causes turbidity
Particulate Matter
inhalable particles, with
diameters that are generally 10 micrometers and smaller
PM10
fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller.
PM2.5
furniture and carpets may contain
__________ which is carcinogenic
formaldehyde
liquid water evaporates into water vapor
Evaporation
water vapor condenses into clouds
Condensation
groundwater moves into the plants and evaporates from them into the atmosphere
Transpiration
solid ice and snow can turn directly into gas
Sublimation
opposite of sublimation wherein gas turns into snow or ice
Deposition
sources of water and their meaning
SURFACE WATER- Mixture of surface run-off and ground water
o Sources: rivers, lake streams, ponds, and impounding reservoirs Meteoric water
RAIN WATER- Evaporated water that has precipitated in the form of rain
GROUND WATER- Portion of water which has percolated into the earth to form underground deposits in aquifers
o Extracted thru wells and streams
Caused by ingestion of contaminated water present with chemicals and pathogenic organisms
Water-borne
Caused by unavailability of water resorting to usage of unsafe sources of
water
Water-washed
Caused by unhygienic disposal of human waste which can cause the spread of parasites
Water-based
Sisease caused by a parasite (schistosoma mansoni, schistosoma haemotobium, or schitosoma japonicum)
schistosomiasis
Water is used by these insects as their breeding grounds
Water-insect related
Composition: 99.99% liquid, 0.01% solid (solid portion is what makes the water unsuited for domestic use)
Waste Water
SOURCES OF WASTE WATEAR
Domestic, industrial, stormwater, agricultural runoff
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines noise above _______ as noise pollution.
65 decibels (dB)
To be precise, noise becomes harmful when it exceeds ________ and is painful above _______
75 decibels (dB); 120 dB.
considered not only an environmental nuisance but also a threat to public health
noise pollution
impacts of noise pollution
▪ Responsible for the rising incidence of deafness in India (Bhargawa, 2001)
▪ In China, until the 3rd century BC, instead of hanging men for dangerous crimes,
noise was used for their Torturing
▪ In Europe, 16% of the people are exposed to 40 dB or more of traffic noise in their bedrooms at night
types of noise
steady, non steady, tonal, broadband, impulsive
Noise with negligibly small fluctuations of sound pressure level within the period of observation.
Steady noise
basic measure of the vibrations in the air which make up sound; measured on a logarithmic scale with units in decibels.
Sound pressure
When sound pressure levels shift significantly during the period of observation;
Non-steady noise
noise for which the level changes continuously and to a great extent during the period of observation.
Fluctuating noise
noise for which the level drops to the level of background noise several times during the period of observation.
Intermittent noise
Consists of one or more bursts of sound energy, each of a duration less than about 1 second
Impulsive noise
characterized by one or two single frequencies
Tonal noise
characterized by energy at many different frequencies and of the same sound pressure level
Broadband noise
parameter : Cardiovascular
parameter: Metabolism
Alterations in the heart rate
and blood pressure
Increased metabolic rate
parameter: respiration
Parameter: pupillary dilation
increased metabolic rate
increase in pupillary size at sound level beyond 55 dB
