Lecture 1

Question 1

What is environmental health?

Answer 1

Comprises those aspects of human health that are determined by physical, chemical, biological, social, and psychological factors in our environment (WHO)

Question 2

How can we measure wellbeing?

Answer 2

Health-Related Quality of Life(HRQOL)

Individual level: physical and mental health perceptions and their correlates including health risks and conditions, functional status, social support, and socioeconomic status

Community level: resources, conditions, policies, and practices that influence a population’s health perceptions and functional status

Can use questionnaires

Question 3

What are the benefits of well-being?

Answer 3

• decreased risk of disease, illness, and injury
• better immune function
• speedier recovery times
• increased longevity
• higher productivity at work
• greater ability contribute to their communities

Question 4

Explain how the Earth is like a fish bowl.

Answer 4

Question 5

Name some different ways that we ingest gaseous and particulate effluents

Answer 5

Question 6

Describe the epidemiological transition.

Answer 6

Question 7

What causes non-communicable diseases?

Answer 7

Question 8

Describe contributors to the environment.

Answer 8

Question 9

What causes pollutants? (source)

Answer 9

Question 10

What affects our environment?

Answer 10

Question 11

What is the WHO precautionary principle?

Answer 11

“In the case of serious or irreversible threats to the health of humans or the ecosystem, acknowledged scientific uncertainty should not be used as a reason to postpone preventive measures”

Question 12

Describe the clinical intervention model.

Answer 12

Question 13

Describe the public health intervention model.

Answer 13

Question 14

Describe the environmental stewardship intervention model.

Answer 14

Question 15

What is the goal of studying environmental health?

Answer 15

To promote well-being by assessing and managing risk (the chance of harmful effects to human health or to ecological systems resulting from environmental exposures)

Question 16

What are the three goals of environmental health professionals

Answer 16

1. predict risk
2. manage risk
3. communicate risk

Question 17

Explain the environmental health paradigm.

Answer 17

Question 18

What is a source of environmental contaminants?

Answer 18

Any stationary or mobile entity that emits or has the potential to emit an environmental pollutant that has been shown to be associated with an adverse effect, indirectly or directly, on human health.

Question 19

What is a point source environmental contaminant?

Answer 19

a single identified source of pollutants (e.g. factories)

Question 20

What is a nonpoint source?

Answer 20

they occur in a wide area that isn’t easy to identify(like smokers)

Question 21

Give examples of sources of environmental contaminants.

Answer 21

Question 22

How do chemical structures determine transport and fate?

Answer 22

Question 23

What is toxicodynamics?

Answer 23

What a chemical does when it gets to its target organ.

Question 24

What is toxicokinectics?

Answer 24

What our body does with a particular chemical.

Question 25

Describe exposure points

Answer 25

Question 26

What is an exposure assessment?

Answer 26

• characterization of exposure setting
• identification of the exposure pathway
• pattern of exposure (air is constant, food 3 times/day)
• quantification of external exposure (often only method of assessing internal exposure)

exposure = intensity x frequency x duration

Question 27

What are possible approaches to exposure assessment.

Answer 27

Question 28

What are contaminants?

Answer 28

(also referred to as agents), they are chemical (toxicants), biological and physical

Question 29

What are vectors/media?

Answer 29

water, air, soil, food, animals

Question 30

What are the routes of entry?

Answer 30

inhalation, ingestion, skin absorption

Question 31

Give a summary of the first lecture.

Answer 31

Key Points:

• people and technology are responsible for contaminating the environment
• epidemiological transition/increased prevalence of chronic illnesses are due to environmental contaminants
• different models (clinical, public health, environmental stewardship) to protect human health
• environmental health paradigm is an instrument for understanding the risk of exposure to the contaminants and how to regulate