Inequality and Health: Env. and Neighborhood Flashcards
Define environment
Four types: Outdoors: trees, air, soil Agriculture: fields, farms, food Waterways: oceans, lakes, rivers Neighborhoods: apartments, offices, playgrounds/greenspace
Define health effect
the specific damage to health that an environmental hazard can cause an individual person. Often the same hazard can cause a range of different effects of different severity.’ (Yassi et al., 2001)
How is health and the environment interdependent?
Health & the environment are interdependent:
Good health depends on accessibility to sustainable resources.
Poor health results from inaccessibility to sustainable resources or exposure to a hazard.
The relation between the environment & health is a function of:
Recipient populations & their closeness to the exposure
Scale
Boundaries
Unbounded environment (i.e. air)
Bounded environment (i.e. water)
Spatial measures: Proximity & Density
What are the five concepts that we primarily focus on when it comes to environmental health
- Toxicity
- Exposure
- Dose/response
- Individual susceptibility
- Environmental justice
Define toxicity
Toxicity is the measure of how dangerous a chemical is when introduced into the body:
- -Inhaled
- -Ingested
- -Dermal absorption
Define exposure
The total amount of a hazard that come into direct contact with your body Three parts of exposure: --Source of the hazard --Environmental pathway --Contact
Define dose/response
A dose is the amount of a hazard that actually enters your body A dose depends on: --Duration of exposure --Frequency of exposure --Body size
Who are some susceptible individuals when it comes to environmental risk
Not all environmental risks are equally shared among groups:
- -Pregnant women
- -Elderly people
- -Sick or chronically ill
- -Infants & children who are still developing
Link environmental health and social justice
Environmental justice is achieved when everyone, regardless of race, culture, or income, enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn and work
In addition to environmental injustice, health problems are also compounded by…
Lack of access to health care High proportion of recent immigrants Language barriers Housing discrimination that limits choice Weak tax base Poor credit Inadequate public services Un/underemployment Relative lack of political power Stress
Housing and Environmental justice
- Health hazards in homes concentrated in lower-income communities & communities of color
- Disproportionately harm poor and minority families
- Exposures to hazards directly linked to substandard housing conditions
- More likely to live near pollution sources
Who are some vulnerable populations when it come to housing?
Elderly
Very young
Chronic illness
Some info on indoor pollutants…
People spend 80% of time indoors Damp housing: Due to poor construction and materials, inadequate heat, lack of ventilation Ideal conditions for mold Evidence of link is strongest in children Indoor air pollutants: House dust mites, cockroaches Pets Tobacco smoke VOCs (volatile organic compounds)- in cleaning products, paints- ex- formaldehyde Radon Cooking and heating equipment
Some info on housing and health…
Poor housing can cause worsened health
Increased length of exposure to poor housing leads to worsened health
Excess winter mortality 2/2 poor heating, ventilation, increased respiratory infection
Mold: respiratory problems, asthma, allergies, eczema
Indoor pollutants and infestation: asthma
Overcrowding: increased risk of infectious disease
Affects mental well-being, depression
Stress
Unsafe outside, unhealthy inside
Poor health can also select worse housing
Hard to get a mortgage without a regular income
What about the built environment?
- -Growing interest in how neighborhood factors influence health and health behaviors over and above individual-level factors
- -More understanding is needed to inform policy and interventions to affect these disparities
