The Sociology of Environmental Health

1. The Sociology of Environmental Health

2. Sociological Processes & Environmental Health Assessments • A number of sociological processes play a role in environmental health assessments • Gender inequality (EBCM) • Racial and ethnic identity • Social norms and structures (GWI) • Political economy • Environmental justice

3. DEP vs EP • Dominant Epidemiological Paradigm • Biomedical model • Individual • Genetic • Medical/etiology • Neutrality of medicine • Treatment • Risk management • Environmental Paradigm • Population • Environmental and political factors • Prevention • Precautionary principle

4. DEP vs EP • Sick individuals • Why are some individuals sick? • Sick populations • Why are some groups sick while others are not? • Requires different methods • Innovative methods • Topics of study • GIS • Survey methods • Novel epidemiological and toxicological methods • Collaboration with laypeople

5. Tragedies: Making the Case for Environmental Health • 1950s – Minamata Bay, Japan • 1970s – Michigan • 1970s – Love Canal, NY • 1984 – Bhopal, India • World Trade Centre • 2007 – Ivory Coast

6. Chronic Mishaps • Lead poisoning • Cancer • Toxins in personal care products • War causes • Climate change

7. Climate Change • Creating one of the greatest public health issues of this century. • Five main health concerns • Air pollution-related illness • Temperature-related illness • Vector-borne diseases • Water and food-borne disease • Illness or injury from extreme weather events

8. Heat Waves • Heat waves affect groups differently based on their race, gender, age, and medical and socioeconomic status. • Minority communities • Inner-city areas • Lack of access to health care • Migration measures

9. Policy Making • Policy addressing climate-related health and illness originated in late 1980s and 1990s • US EPA (1989) “The Potential Effects of GCC” • UN (1992) The Framework Convention on CC • OTA (1993) “Preparing for Uncertain Climate” • US EPA (1997) … medical and public health practitioners better educate the public about heat events • US Congress (1998) US National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Climate

10. Policy Making • Shaped by political tensions • (199) Public Law 101-606, the US Global Climate Change Research Act .. Stimulate a 10 year plan for national agencies such as EPA, DE, NIEHS, among others, to develop an understanding of and necessary responses to climate change.

11. Many Scientific and Political Obstacles • Many public official resist acknowledging that heat is increasing because it might • Result in better regulation of the air pollution which causes global warming • There are medical and scientific factors that make it difficult for policymakers to deal with illnesses caused by heat waves.

12. Public Health Impacts • Climate change is just one of the emerging concerns of environmental health specialists • Others include • The accumulation of chemicals in the human body • Decreasing availability of clean water and resulting water-borne illnesses • Environmental crimes that lack international regulations

13. Conclusion • Making connections between health and the environment is often first achieved by those who suffer environmental illnesses. • In order for them to gain compensation for their losses and to stop these exposures, public officials must also accept their claims • A key component of this latter process is scientific proof • If an affected community has research that proves an illness is connected to certain exposures, it is much easier to gain the proper treatment and prevention • A key political principle that may improve environmental health is the precautionary principle