Environmental Health Flashcards
what is environmental health
public health science that focuses on how the environment influences human health
what is exposure
point of contact between people and a contaminant
do disasters cause environmental health problems
yes -
what is a contaminant
anything in the environment which causes disease (radon, lead, asbestos)
environment and human health - 2 ways
contaminants
environment (climate, availability of grocery stores)
what is an exposure points
contaminant interacts with the human (chemical spill - home, food supply)
environmental mediums
soil, water (route of transmission)
exposure route
inhalation or ingestion
flint Michigan contaminant
legionaries disease (lead contaminating water supply, not being treated, bacteria grew)
flint Michigan health concern
death (ARDS - respiratory issues and neurological problems)
flint Michigan exposure point
Hospital
flint Michigan exposure route
ingestion
buffalo NY contaminant
lead paint
buffalo NY health concern
neuro deficits and death - particularly in children
buffalo NY exposure point
homes
buffalo NY exposure route
ingestion
what is fracking
putting chemical solutions at a high pressure underneath the ground to try to get natural gas to come up
fracking contaminant
blend of chemicals (unknown)
fracking health concern
well water - not treated
fracking exposure points
home
fracking exposure routes
ingestion
what is toxicology
study of adverse effects of chemical, physical, and biological agents which could adversely effect people in the environment
what is an exposure estimate
determines a persons level of exposure to a contaminant over a period of time/point in time
what is bioavailability***
the amount of the contaminant that ends up in systemic circulation
what is biomonitoring***
drawing blood levels/toxicology screens - testing for a contaminant
what type of intervention is biomonitoring
secondary
at what age do we test for lead in children
1 year of age - blood test
often times there is a latency period between exposure and illness, can be very long. T or F
True
environmental health and children - concerns
rapidly develop
eat, drink, breath more in proportion to body size
breath closer to the ground
less able to break down/excrete contaminants
behaviors expose them to contaminants (put in mouths)
