Chapter 14: Community and Public Health and the Environment

Environmental Health

the study and management of environmental conditions that affect the health and well-being of humans

Environmental Hazard

factors or conditions in the environment that increase the risk of human injury, disease, or death

Air Pollution

contamination of the air that interferes with comfort, safety, and health f living organisms

Primary Pollutants

air pollutants emanating directly from transportation, power and industrial plants

Secondary Pollutants

air pollutants formed when primary air pollutants react with sunlight and other atmospheric components to form new harmful compounds

Photochemical Smog

haze or fog formed when air pollutants interact with sunlight (it is brown in color)

Industrial Smog

haze or fog formed primarily by sulfur dioxide and suspended particles from the burning of coal,known as gray smog

Ozone (O3)

an inorganic molecule considered to be a pollutant in the atmosphere because it harms human tissue, but considered beneficial in the stratosphere because it screens out UV radiation

Thermal Inversion

a condition that occurs when warm air traps cooler air at the surface of the Earth

Clean Air Act (CAA)

the federal law that provides the government with authority to address interstate air pollution

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQSs)

standards created by the EPA for allowable concentration levels of outdoor air pollutants

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

the federal agency primarily responsible for setting, maintaining, and enforcing environmental standards

Criteria Pollutants

the most pervasive air pollutants and those of greatest concern in the United States

Air Quality Index (AQI)

an index that indicates the level of pollution in the air and the associated health risk

Greenhouse Gases

atmospheric gases, principally carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, ozone, methane, water vapor,and nitrous oxide, that are transparent to visible light but absorb infrared radiation

Asbestos

a naturally occurring mineral fiber identified as a Class A carcinogen by the EPA

Biogenic pollutants

airborne biological organisms or their particles or gases or other toxic materials that can produce illness

Combustion byproducts

gases and particulates generated by burning

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

compounds that exist as vapors over the normal range of air pressures and temperatures

Formaldehyde (CH2O)

water-soluble gas used in aqueous solution in hundreds of consumer products

Carcinogens

agents, usually chemicals, which cause cancer

Radon

a naturally occurring colorless, tasteless, odorless, radioactive gas formed during the radioactive decay of uranium-238

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)

tobacco smoke in the environment that can be inhaled by nonsmokers, also secondhand smoke

Secondhand Smoke

tobacco that accumulates in confined spaces that usually comprises of a mixture of mainstream and sidestream smoke

Mainstream Smoke

tobacco inhaled and exhaled by the smoker

Sidestream Tobacco Smoke

tobacco smoke that comes off the end of burning tobacco products

Passive Smoking

the inhalation of environmental tobacco smoke by non-smokers

Sick Building Syndrome

a term used to describe a situation in which the air quality in a building produces generalized signs and symptoms of ill health in the buildings occupants

Sanitation

the practice of establishing and maintaining healthy or hygienic conditions in the environment

Surface Water

precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation; the water in streams, rivers, and lakes

Groundwater

water located under the surface of the grond

Aquifers

porous, water-saturated layers of underground bedrock, sand, and gravel that can yield economically significant amounts of water

Water Pollution

any physical or chemical change in water that can harm living organisms or make the water unfit for other uses

Point Source Pollution

pollution that can be traced to a single identifiable source

Nonpoint Source Pollution

all pollution that occurs through the runoff, seepage, or falling of pollutants into the water where the source is difficult or impossible to identify

Runoff

water that flows over land surfaces (including paved surfaces), typically from precipitation

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical (EDC)

a chemical that interferes in some way with the body's endocrine system (hormone) system

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs)

synthetic chemicals found in everyday consumer health care products and cosmetics

Waterborne Disease Outbreak (WBDO)

a disease in which at least two persons experience a similar illness after the ingestion of drinking water or after exposure to water used for recreational purposes and epidemiological evidence implicates water as the probable source of the illness

Wastewater

the aqueous mixture that remains after water has been used or contaminated by humans

Wastewater Treatment

the process of improving the quality of wastewater (sewage) to the point that it can be released into a body of water without seriously disrupting the aquatic environment, causing health problems in humans, or causing nuisance conditions

Sludge

a semi-liquid mixture of solid waste that includes bacteria, viruses, organic matter, toxic materials, synthetic organic chemicals, and solid chemicals

Septic Tank

a watertight concrete or fiberglass tank that holds sewage;one of two main parts of a septic system

Absorption Field

the element of a septic system in which the liquid portion of waste is distributed

Clean Water Act (CWA)

the federal law aimed at ensuring that all rivers are swimmable and fishable and that limits the dischrage of pollutants in U.S. waters to zero

Watershed

the area of land from which all of the water that is under it drains from it and goes into the same place; for example,the Mississippi River watershed drains and collects all the water from the land extending from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachian Mountains and from the upper Midwest all the way south to the Gulf of Mexico

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

the federal law that regulates the safety of public drinking water

Foodborne Disease Outbreak (FBDO)

the occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from the ingestion of food

Pest

any organism-- a multicelled animal or plant, or a microbe-- that has an adverse effect on human interests

Pesticides

synthetic chemicals developed and manufactured for the purpose of killing pests

Target Organisms (target pest)

the organism (or pest) for which a pesticide is applied

Non-target organisms

all other susceptible organisms in the environment, for which a pesticide was not intended

Registered environmental health specialists (REHS) (sanitarians)

environmental workers responsible for the inspection of restaurants, retail food outlets, public housing, and other sites to ensure compliance with public health codes

Solid waste

solid refuse from households, agriculture, and businesses

Municipal solid waste

waste generated by individual households, businesses, and institutions located within municipalities

Hazardous waste

a solid waste or combination of solid wastes that is dangerous to human health or the environment

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA)

the federal law that sets forth guidelines fr the proper handling and disposal of hazardous wastes

Solid waste management (integrated waste management)

the collection, transportation, and disposal of solid waste

Source reduction

a waste management approach involving the reduction or elimination of the use of materials that produce an accumulation of solid waste

Recycling

the collecting, sorting, and processing of materials that would otherwise be considered waste into raw materials for manufacturing new products, and the subsequent use of those new products

Composting

the natural, aerobic biodegradation of organic plant and animal matter to compost

Sanitary landfills

waste disposal sites on land suited for this purpose and on which waste is spread in thin layers, compacted, and covered with a fresh layer of clay or plastic foam each day

Leachates

liquids created when water mixes with wastes and removes soluble constituents from them by percolation

Combustion (incineration)

the burning of solid wastes

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

the federal law (known as Superfund) created to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites

Brownfields

property where reuse is complicated by the presence of hazardous substances from prior use

Lead

a naturally occurring mineral element found throughout the environment and used in large quantities for industrial products, including batteries, pipes, solder, paints, and pigments

Vector

a living organism, usually or other arthropod, that can transmit a communicable disease agent to a susceptible host (ex: mosquito or tick)

Vectorborne disease outbreak (VBDO)

an occurrence of an unexpectedly large number of cases of disease caused by an agent transmitted by insects or other athropods

Natural hazard

a naturally occurring phenomenon or event that produces or releases energy in amounts that exceed human endurance, causing injury, disease, or death ( radiation, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods)

Natural diaster

a natural hazard that results in substantial loss of life or property

Radiation

a process in which energy is emitted as particles or waves

Ionizing radiation

high energy radiation that can knock an electron out of orbit, creating an ion, and can thereby damage living cells and tissues (UV radiation, gamma rays, X-rays, alpha and beta particles)

UV radiation

radiant energy with wavelengths of 0 to 400 nanometers

Carrying capacity

the maximum population of a particular species that a given habitat can support over a given period of time

Bias and hate crimes

crimes that occur when offenders choose a victim because of some characteristic-- for example, race, ethnicity, or religion-- and provide evidence that the hate prompted them to commit the crime

Terrorism

calculated use of violence (or threat of violence) against civilians to attain goals that are political or religious in nature

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

the nation's official emergency response

American Red Cross

nonprofit, humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter that provides relief to victims of disasters