Environmental & Occupational Influences on Health

Question 1

What is a hazard?

Answer 1

Something with the potential to cause harm

Question 2

What is risk?

Answer 2

The likelihood of harm occurring

Question 3

What is risk factor?

Answer 3

Something that increases risk

Question 4

What is a protective factor?

Answer 4

Something that decreases risk

Question 5

What is susceptibility?

Answer 5

Influences the likelihood that something with cause harm

Question 6

What are the different types of hazards?

Answer 6

Physical, chemical, mechanical, biological and psychosocial

Question 7

What are the different routes of exposure?

Answer 7

Skin, blood/sexual, inhalation and ingestion

Question 8

What are the factors that influence the degree of risk?

Answer 8

How much a person is exposed

How the person is exposed

Conditions of exposure

Question 9

What does the term probability encompass?

Answer 9

The probability that a particular outcome will occur and the severity of the the harm involved

Question 10

What are the 3 principles that govern the perception of risk?

Answer 10

Feeling in control, size of possible harm and familiarity with the risk

Question 11

How does the perception of risk compare between involuntary and voluntary risks?

Answer 11

Involuntary risks are perceived as having a greater risk (plane trip vs car trip)

Question 12

Describe the differences with sizes of possible harm.

Answer 12

Risks that involve greater POSSIBLE harm are perceived as greater.
Even if less harmful events are more likely

Question 13

Compare less familiar and more familiar risks.

Answer 13

Less familiar risks are perceived as being greater e.g. nuclear plant accident vs. food poisoning

Question 14

What are the individual variables in risk perception?

Answer 14

Previous experience, attitudes towards risk, values, beliefs, socio-economic factors, personality and demographic factors

Question 15

How can environmental hazards be classified?

Answer 15

Direct or indirect

Question 16

What are the direct pathological effects?

Answer 16

Physical - ionising/non-ionising radiation, noise and vibration

Chemical - pesticides and volatile organic compounds (VOC)

Biological - infectious agents and allergic substances

Question 17

What are the indirect pathological effects?

Answer 17

Housing e.g. overcrowding

Transport

Town planning e.g. access to amenities, social networks

Income/welfare/wealth distribution

Question 18

Give examples of hazardous exposure.

Answer 18

Diet - fat, salt, bacteria, pesticides, acrylamide, phthalates

Inhalation - environmental tobacco smoke, smog, asbestos, legionella, pesticides

Dermal - UVA/UVB, bacteria, cosmetics, pesticides

Question 19

Describe the Seveso Disaster.

Answer 19

July 10th 1976

Highest known exposure to TCDD leading to reversible peripheral neuropathy, excess mortality from respiratory and CVD diseases, increase in lymphatic and haematopoetic tissue neoplasms (incidence of breast cancer).

Question 20

Describe the Bhopal disaster.

Answer 20

December 3rd 1984

Union Carbide subsidiary pesticide plant released 40 tonnes of MIC gas.

2500-5000 people killed.

Question 21

What are the figures for occupational disease in UK?

Answer 21

144 fatal injuries - majority in construction.
550,000 non-fatal injuries

12,000 deaths pa from harmful working conditions

8,000 occupation cancer deaths (4,000 due to asbestos)

4,000 COPD deaths due to chemical and dust exposure

1.2m cases of ill health caused or made worse by work