Environmental Health

1. Environmental Health

2. Objectives • Define environmental health. • List the various types of ecosystems. • Define urban ecosystem. • Explain how the agricultural ecosystem provides goods and services. • Describe how trees affect the urban environment. • Describe the relationship of the environment to human health. • Explain how toxins get into the environment and how to prevent this from happening.

3. Two Definitionsof Environmental Health • Science that studies how humans and nature interact to affect human health. It addresses all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, including the assessment and control of factors that can affect health (WHO 2008). • Protection against environmental factors that may adversely affect human health or the ecological balances essential to long-term human health and environmental quality, whether natural or man-made environment (National Environmental Health Association 1996).

4. Rangeland Soil Food Web

5. Ecosystems • Forest • Freshwater • Grassland • Agricultural (agroecosystems) • Urban • Coastal

6. Forests • Forests make up 25% of the earth’s land surface. • In most developed countries, laws restrict logging that depletes forests. • Underdeveloped countries with less strict laws clear their forests to supply wood to the world.

7. Freshwater Ecosystems • 40% of fish species come from fresh water. • 18% of fish are in danger of extinction. • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests the balance of fish, insects, algae, plants, and other aquatic life.

8. Grasslands • Grasslands are biological communities (such as prairies, meadows, and savannas) with ground cover of grasses. • Grasslands have few trees. • Many wild plants from grasslands are used in alternative medicine. • The greater sage grouse population is an indicator of the health of grasslands.

9. Agroecosystems • Agroecosystems include the soil, plants, and animals that make up farms, croplands, orchards, pastures, and rangelands. • If 30% of land is used for cropland or pasture, the land is considered an agroecosystem. • Agroecosystems cover 28% of the earth’s land area, or 12.16 billion acres (4.92 billion hectares).

10. Urban Ecosystems • Plants, animals, and humans make up urban ecosystems. • Urban ecosystems can lack indigenous plants. • Washington, DC, has 115 bird species. • Chicago contains wild prairie grasses.

11. Urban Trees • Trees remove up to 70% of particulates on a tree-lined street. • Urban forests in Baltimore and Washington, DC, remove 17,000 tons of air pollution per year. This air purification system is valued at $88 million.

12. Coastal Ecosystems • The United States has four coastal ecosystems: • Great Lakes • Chesapeake Bay • Everglades • Gulf of Mexico • They include estuaries, reefs, mangroves, islands, and salt marshes. • Natural disasters such as hurricanes have a devastating effect on coastal ecosystems.

13. Effects of the Environment on Health • Environmental issues affect public health. • People get sick from things in the environment. • Humans must use environmental products carefully and dispose of waste properly.

14. Global Warming • Global warming is an increase in the temperature of the atmosphere that contributes to changes in global climate patterns. • Scientists now prefer the term climate change because it suggests more than just temperature changes. • The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that helps regulate temperature. It’s said to be the major contributor to the current climate changes. • Greenhouse gases act as an insulating blanket, trapping solar energy that would otherwise escape into space.

15. Toxins • 47% of households with children have at least one pesticide stored in an unlocked area. • 75% of households without children have chemicals in unlocked areas. • 13% of all pesticide poisonings of children happen outside the home.

16. Asbestos • Asbestos is a mineral fiber. • Used as insulation • Flame retardant • It’s found in pipe and furnace insulation, shingles, floor tiles, and paints. • Undisturbed asbestos poses no danger. • Asbestos can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, or cancer of the chest lining.

17. Radon Gas • Radon is a radioactive gas. • It is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers. • It’s important to check for radon in all homes, regardless of the age or location of the home.

18. Six Major Air Pollutants • Ozone • Particulate matter • Carbon monoxide • Nitrogen oxides • Sulfur dioxide • Lead

19. Major Water Pollutants • Arsenic • Benzene • Disinfection by-products • Contaminated sediment and dredged material • Lead • Microbial pathogens

20. Waste Management • Strategies for waste management include: • Designing products that turn into clean garbage • Reducing, reusing, and recycling • Recovering energy from waste treatment • The goal of waste management is to reduce the toxicity of garbage before it gets into the landfills.

21. Waste Management Hierarchy

22. Environmental Diseasesand Disorders • Some people are more susceptible than others. • Diseases or conditions caused by environmental factors include these: • Asthma • Myocardial infarction • Cancer • Lead poisoning (from ingesting lead-based paint) • Carbon monoxide poisoning

23. Going Green To go green is to reduce your negative impact on the environment. Some ways to go green include • reducing the amount of trash that is sent to landfills, • reducing the amount of water that is used by households, • using recycled products, and • using energy efficiently.