Pop Health Test 4 Flashcards
environmental health definitioons
branch of public health focusing on the relationships between people and their environments; promotes human health and well-being; and fosters healthy and safe communities
environmental health does…
advance policies and programs to reduce chemical and other environmental exposures in air, water, soil, and food to protect people and provide communities with healthier environments
types of exposures
- chemical
- biological
- radiological
* found in the air we breath, the water we drink, and the products we use
what kind of approach is needed to be effective
multidisciplinary
( local, state, and federal agencies, nurses, doctors, toxicologists, engineers, chemists, city planners, housing inspectors, etc.)
what is a nurse
amongst the most trusted conveyors of information to the public
*responsibility to understand the risks, how to assess them, how to eliminate or reduce them, and how to advocate for policies that support healthy environments
Florence Nightingale
the environment had a huge influence on patient outcomes disease prevention and that is was necessary to consider not only the patient but where he or she lives
(clean environment, clean water, and safe sanitary conditions = successful outcomes)
Lillian Wald
public health nurse
- Henry Street neighborhood
- lobbied for health inspection in the workplace to protect workers and even had a large playground built to help improve the health of children in the neighborhood
21st Century American Nurses Association
nurses: have knowledge of environmental health to be able to assess patients and invoke the precautionary principle of the right for nurses to be able to work in a safe environment and maintain their own safety and the safety of others
biomonitoring
the testing of human fluids and tissues for the presence of potentially toxic chemicals
(umbilical cord blood of newborns)
toxicology
basic scient that contributes to our understanding of health effects associated with chemical exposure
toxicity
the degree to which a substance can harm humans or animals
food we eat and drink, the air we breathe, the soil we build our homes and cities
(shampoo, makeup, furnace)
extrapolation
testing a product/chemical on animals and then based on the effects of the chemical a model is used to estimate the effects on human
Fragrance chemical
increased risk of asthma, allergies, and migraine
inert
other ingredients
pharmacology
study of the origin, chemical nature, and effects of drugs
epigenetics
changes in DNA from chemical exposures that change gene expression
(gene turned on or off)
epidemiology
the method used to find the causes of health outcomes and diseases in populations
(patient = community)
*study of distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations
Geographic Information Systems (Epidemiologic Triangle)
layers information on a map
(map of a city and layers information on a map)
- gives the ability to analyze immense amounts of demographic, statistical, and geospatial data to develop visual representations that are easily digestible at all levels
who is at risk?
low-income communities
lead poisoning, pests, pollution, water contamination, unsafe neighborhoods
children
air pollution: smaller lungs, respiratory infections
cancer: 5% hereditary the remainder from environment and lifestyle
autism and ADHD: environment play a role
pregnancy
increase preterm birth
mercury risk brain development and preterm labor
workplace hazards
environmental justice
fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies
what is at stake
the health of the people are at stake
office of environmental justice
coordinates the EPA efforts that address the needs of vulnerable populations by decreasing environmental burdens, increasing environmental benefits, and working collaboratively to build healthy, sustainable communities
(local, state, and federal governments; tribal governments; community organizations; business and industry; and academia to achieve protection from environmental and health hazards for all people regardless or race, color, national origin, or income)
EJ action plan
- decrease lead exposure for all
- ensure that communities have safe drinking water meeting agency standards
- achieve air quality that meets the standards
- reduce human exposure to hazardous waste sites with an emphasis on minority, low income, and vulnerable populations
Haxard Communication Standard under OSHA
employers must maintain a list of all potentially hazardous chemicals that are used
Government agencies and environmental health
environmental protection agency, food and drug administration, United States department of agricultural, department of health and human services (National institute of environmental health sciences & national institute for occupational safety and health)
what does the CDC do
tracking environmental health trends, making recommendations, engaging in research
United States Department of Agriculture
overseas meet, pultry, and egg products
FDA
dairy, seafood, produce, packaged foods, bottle water, and whole eggs
point source
a single point or place
*EPA: any contaminant that enters the environment from an easily identified and confined place (smokestacks, discharge pipes, drainage ditches)
nonpoint-source
harder to identify and harder to address
- EPA: pollutant comes from many places, all at once (land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, drainage, seepage, or hydrologic modification
- NPS” rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground depositing pollutants into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and groundwaters
Clear air act
1963, amended in 1970 and 1990
control air pollution in the United States, states comply to Clean Air ac, adding car emissions, acid rain, ozone depletion, and other pollutants
criteria pollutants
ground-level ozone (most widespread), carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and lead
air pollution probelms
asthma, stroke, pneumonia, COPD, cardiovascular, cancer, immunological effects, reproductive problems, birth defects, infant health, neurological problems`
long term mercury exposure
uncontrolled shaking or tremors, numbness or pain in a certain part of the skin, blindness and double vision, inability to walk well, memory problems, seizures, death with large exposures
Safe Drinking Water Act
1974 protect public health by regulating the nations public drinking water supply
amended in 1986 and 1996: many actions to protect drinking water and its sources (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and groundwater wells)
drinking water state revolving fund
help finance infrastructure improvements needed to protect public health and ensure compliance with drinking water standards
water pollutants
sewage and domestic wastes industrial wastes and effluents insecticides and pesticides detergents and fertilizers thermal pollution radioactive materials climate change
1980 Comprehensive Environmental Respose, Compensation and Liability Act
created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment
short term removals
actions may be taken to address releases or threatened releases requiring prompt response
long term remedial response
permanently and significantly reduce the dangers associated with releases or threats of releases of hazardous substances that are serious, but not immediately life-threatening
Brownfields Program
empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2018
increased the grant money for clean up of Brownfield sites and allows local governments and nonprofits interested in redeveloping abandoned properties and private investors more opportunities to do so.
food safety contaminants
toxic metals and organic halogenated compounds, chemicals used to production of food (pesticides & veterinary drugs and antibiotics), contaminants arising from food packaging, or natural toxins in food
Food safety agencies
Food and Drug Administration (Department of Health and Human Services); Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA); Environmental Protection Agency; National Marie Fisheries Service (Department of Commerce)
outrage factors
emotional factors that influence perception fo risk (involuntary, industrial, and unfair)
