How Does Our Environment Impact On Our Health? Flashcards
What does environmental health focus on?
aspects of human health determined by physical, chemical, biological & social/psychosocial factors in the environment
What are the 3 main categories of pollutants?
- liquid organics (effluent)
- liquid inorganic waste (agricultural run-off & effluent)
- waterborne/water based pathogens e.g giardia, cryptosporidium & shistosomes
What are the water contaminants found in developed countries?
- biological pollution e.g. Algal blooms - gardia & cryptosporidium
- chemical pollution e.g. Pesticides
What are the water contaminants found in developing countries?
- waterborne bacteria - cholera
- parasites - e.g. Shistosomes
- vectors of disease - e.g. Malaria, dengue
What are the major ambient (outdoor) pollutants?
- nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
- carbon monoxide (CO)
- ozone (O3)
- particulates (PM10, PM2.5, PM0.1)
- sulphur dioxide (SO2)
What are the main sources of ambient pollutants?
- vehicle emissions
- combustion processes
- agriculture
What are the health effects of ambient pollution?
- mild irritation -> respiratory illness -> death
What are the main indoor air pollutants (IAP)?
- furnishings & lack of ventilation
- chemicals e.g. Formaldehyde, VOCs
What are the health affects of indoor pollution? (6)
- sick building syndrome
- building related sickness
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- acute respiratory infections in childhood
- lung cancer
- birth defects
What is the greenhouse effect?
- changes in the earths climate as a result of increasing levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere due to human activity
What are the predicted results of the greenhouse effect?
- global temperature increase from between 1.5- 4.5 degrees
- wind and rain
- rising sea levels
- death of wildlife
- damage to agriculture
- social damage
Explain Australia’s contribution to the EGHE (enhanced greenhouse emissions) on both country level & WA level
Australia:
- responsible for about 2% of GH emissions (amongst 5 largest in world)
WA:
- responsible for about 10% total - high per capita rate
- agriculture, animals, land clearing & pasture
- fossil fuels Transport, electricity, industrial processing - 15% each
- there’s a WA endorsed federal gov plan to reduce emissions
What are the soil/land contaminants?
- arsenic
- asbestos
- lead - especially in esperance
- mercury
- PCBs
- dust particles
- acid sulphate soils
What is salinisation?
- salt deep below root zone of native vegetation
- pastures have less water, which brings salt to surface (kills vegetation, loss of productivity
What is degradation - desertification?
- inappropriate land use (deforestation, overgrazing, bad irrigation)
- dry land ecosystems extremely vulnerable
What are zoonoses?
- Diseases shared between animals & humans
- naturally occurring in animals e.g. Bird flu, SARS, HIV
What does biodiversity mean?
Variation of life at all levels of biological organisation - genes, species & ecosystems
What are the potential impacts of landfill?
- ground & surface water contamination
- landfill gas, air pollution
- fire = air emissions, injuries & liability
- dust
- noise
- litter
- pests
What are the alternatives to landfill?
- recycling
- alternative technologies
What is liquid waste?
Waste water from different sources resulting in broad spectrum of contaminants
What is electronic (E)-waste?
- electronic wastes used & no longer wanted
- valuable parts have been removed
- 50 million tones worldwide
What are the population & urbanisation problems?
- tropical diseases
- inadequate water supply & sanitation
- solid waste & waste water
- air quality
- transport & traffic
- crowdedness
- crime
What causes food contamination?
Bacteria: high protein & warm moist conditions (meat, fish, rice)
Parasites: Protozoa, tapeworms, roundworms (undercooked meat)
Toxic chemicals: fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, food containers, contaminated land
Chemical additives - allergies
What are the 3 major environmental problems In remote cities?
- poor water supply & quality
- inadequate housing
- limited access to affordable, healthy food
What are the 3 most important health issues in remote indigenous communities?
- infectious diseases
- chronic diseases
- problems resulting from social disruption
What do aboriginal environmental health workers do?
- live & work in remote communities
- provide fundamental environmental health services
- maintain health of animals
- stop spread of disease & parasites to residents
- desexing & euthanasia
- swimming pools in local communities (improved school attendance)
What are the environmental health challenges in 21st century?
- access to unadulterated air, water & land
- burden of overpopulation & poverty
- impact communicable diseases - HIV, SARS, malaria
- urbanisation, overpopulation & world trade
- unnecessary epidemics - war
