Environmental & Occupational Influences on Health Flashcards
What is a hazard?
Something with potential to cause harm
What is a risk?
The likelihood of harm occuring
What is a risk factor?
Increase the risk of harm
What is a protective factor?
Decrease the risk of harm
What is susceptibility?
Influences the likelihood that something will cause harm
What are different kinds of hazards?
Physical
Chemical
Mechanical
Biological
Psychological
What are different routes of exposure?
Skin
Blood/sexual
Inhalation
Ingestion
What are some factors that influence the degree of risk?
How much a person is exposed
How the person is exposed
Conditions of exposure
What does risk combine?
The probability that a particular outcome will occur and the severity of the harm involved
What can be said about risk to different people?
People perceive risk differently
What are the 3 principles that govern how people perceive risk differently?
Feeling in control (voluntary vs involuntary)
Size of the possible harm
Familiarity with the risk
Are voluntary or involuntary risk perceived as having greater risk?
Involuntary risk
What is involuntary risk?
Situations where we believe we have little control
What is voluntary risk?
Situations where we believe we have some control
How does familiarity of risk change the risk?
Risk that are less familiar with are perceived as being greater than familiar ones
What are individual variables in risk perception?
Previous experience
Attitudes towards risk
Values
Beliefs
Socio-economic factors
Personality
Demographic factors
What are the 2 broad categories of risk from the environment?
Direct pathological effect
Indirect
What are examples of direct environmental risks to health?
Physical (radiation, noise and vibration)
Chemical (pesticides, volotile organic compounds)
Biological (infectious agents, allergic substances)
What are examples of indirect environmental risks to health?
Housing (overcrowing)
Transport (encouraging walking or not)
Town planning (access to amenities)
Income/wealth distribution
What are different categories of hazourdous exposure?
Diet
Inhalation
Dermal
What are examples of hazardous exposure from diet?
Fat
Salt
Bacteria
Pesticides
What is example of hazardous exposure from inhalation?
Environmental tobacco smoke
Smoke
Asbestos
Legionella
What are examples of hazardous exposure from dermal?
UV light
Bacteria
Cosmetics
Why was asbestos used in construction?
Good insulating properties
What do disasters lead to?
Exposure to hazardous agents
What are examples of disasters leading to exposure of hazardous agents?
9/11 caused asbestos containing dust to be released
Industrial accident near Milan in 1976 caused exposure to TCDD
Pesticide plant released 40 tons of MIC gas by mistake in 1984
How many fatal occupational health injuries occur in the UK each year?
144
What line of work are most fatal occupational health injuries in?
Construction
How many non-fatal occupational health injuries are there each year?
550,000
How many deaths per year are due to past exposure to harmful working conditions?
12,000
When was asbestos band?
1985
What illnesses does asbestos cause?
Mesothelioma
Lung cancer
Asbestosis
How many deaths per year does asbestos cause?
4500
Do poorer people or rich people develop more health problems?
Poorer
What does living in a time of rapid demographic and epidemiological transition lead to?
New infections and behavioural risks
Why are Western healthcare models non-sustainable?
Being costly financially and on recources
What do many local problems also have, when considering the bigger picture?
Consequences globally, global perspective improves our understanding of causes and solutions to local problems
