eesa

genetics - health factor

which are not a part of environmental factors which PREDISPOSITION

what is environmental health?

According to the WHO:
In its broadest sense, environmental health comprises those aspects of HUMAN HEALTH, DISEASE and INJURIES that are determined or influenced by factors in the environment.

what are the various effects studied in environmental health, including both direct and indriect pathological effects?

- chemical
- biological
- physical
- social agents (housing, urban development, land use, transportation)

Environment

everything that affects a living organism

What are the compartments of environment? what are the 3 most important environmental compartments?

3 most important:
- air
- water
- soil

The rest:
- Biota (mosquito, extinction)
- manmade environment (war)

examples of environmental crisis: human alteration of Eath

Atmosphere: CO2 increased 30% since the beginning of the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Geosphere: 1/3 to 1/2 of the land surface has been transformed by human action

Biosphere: slash and burn processes, where lots of gases are released into the atmosphere (extinction of many creatures)

Overpopulation and over-consumption: availability of resources; consumption increase \= over consumption, therefore more waste

clearest indicator of environmental threats to human health

the declining health of other organisms
- e.g., population of frogs declining
- no single factor is responsible:
- increase UV
- Traces of toxic chemicals
- infections (fungi and bacteria)
- predators

environmental factors responsible for \____ of all preventable diseases

25%

In developing countries \____ and \____ are first on the list for environmental disorders (disease of microbes)

diarrhea and respiratory

protecting the environment has been a mainstay of public health practices since \_____

1878

\______ determines sanitary level of environment.

Give an example.

- Rich and Poor (Social economic status); developed an developing countries
- e.g., Africans Americans and Hispanic & Whites
African American, Hispanic and low income populations have been found to have hospitalization and death rate from asthma 3-5 times higher than those for all New York residence.

social hazard

- smoking \= NOT environmental, BUT second hand smoke IS
- poverty is at the top of the list for reduction of life expectancy

main message of "everyday carcinogens: Acting for Prevention in the Face of Scientific Uncertainty" Featured by Dr. Sandra Steingraber

no one study is absolute proof - rather many designs coming together forms the picture

Case study 1: London smog, 1952

- landmark in creation of air-pollution laws
- industrial revolution (18th-19th century)
- lasted 5 - 7 days
- unusually cold \= increased usage of home heating (increase usage of soft coal)
- soft coal \= increase of SULFUR DIOXIDE in air (increase in smog and choking from fog and sulfur)
- 4000 ppl died ( peak of deaths strongly correlated with sulfuric acid and smoke pollution levels)

First act related to air pollution

British Clean Air Act

Case 2: Indonesian Fires, 1997

- common cultural practice \= slash and burn (trees burned by controlled fire to clear the land for agriculture)
- monsoons arrived late, where fire went out of control.

Airborne Hazards - 2 large distinctions

- outdoor air pollution
- indoor air pollution

indoor air pollution

- recent subject of concern

sources of outdoor pollution

- natural sources (volcanoes, vegetation)

anthropological sources

Stationary:
- industries
- household - burning trash

Mobile:
- Traffic

What are some Outdoor primary air pollutants

- most hydrocarbons
- most particulates (particulate matter)
- carbon monoxide
- nitrogen oxides
- Sulphur oxides
- VOC (volatile Organic Compounds)
- Lead
- change into secondary air pollutants

What are some Outdoor secondary air pollutants

- Ground level ozone

The health effects of outdoor air pollution depend on

the dose or concentration

Asthma

Particulates and/or SO2 can irritate bronchial passages leading to severe difficulties in breathing
From 1983-1993 prevalence in the US increased 34%
The incidence among children in Australia was one in five, a doubling of the rate in less than 20 years
Indoor air pollution is also significant

Chronic bronchitis

- Occurs when an excessive amount of mucus is produced in bronchi which results in a lasting cough
- SO2 and smoking is related to Chronic bronchitis

Pulmonary emphysema

Weakening of the wall of alveoli, they become enlarged and loss their resilience
- Shortness of breath is the primary symptom
- NO2 is related to emphysema

caused or exacerbated by exposure to air pollution

- lung cancer
- heart disease

toxic poisoning

carbon monoxide can cause this - prolonged exposure can cause death

effects of outdoor air pollution

- lung cancer
- heart disease
- toxic poisoning
- eye irritation
- birth defects

Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)

Particles found in the air (dust, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets)
Big and small
Vehicles, factories, construction sites, tilled fields, stone crashing, burning
Some formed in the air (suphuric gas & metals in air creating salts \= acid rain; dmgs soil by raising acid in soil)
Serious health effects

size and composition matters

PM10

10 or less microns

PM2.5

2.5 or less microns
- more dangerous
- reach further within lungs causing more dmg
- released in internal combustion

Carbon Monoxide

Odourless, colourless gas
Incomplete burning of carbon containing fuels
Heaters, woodstoves, gas stoves, fireplaces, water heaters, automobile exhaust, tobacco smoke
- outdoor pollutant

1 000 people die each year in US as result of \_______ poisoning

CO

carbon monoxide poisoning

- Sometimes confused with flu or food poisoning (at low levels)
- Fetuses, infants, elderly and people with heart and
respiratory illnesses are at high risk for adverse health effects

Health effects of Carbon monoxide

Interferes with the delivery of oxygen in the blood to the rest of the body
Worsen cardiovascular conditions
Fatigue
Headache (high lvls)
Weakness
Confusion
Disorientation, loss of coordination (high lvls)
Nausea, Dizziness, Death

Preventative methods against Carbon monoxide poisoning

Never leave a car engine running in a shed or garage or in any enclosed space
Proper selection, installation, and maintenance of appliances
Correct use
Good ventilation
Use CO detectors

Nitrogen oxides (NOx)

Form in any type of combustion process (INTERNAL COMBUSTION)
Involve in formation of ground level ozone and stratosphere ozone
Form nitrate particles, acid aerosols
Contribute in formation of acid rain
Transported over long distances
- Group: photochemical smoke
- NOT a result of a product of coal
- NOT very soluble in water
- DMG through lungs & upper air ways during intense exercise

12 % of the world resources for soft coal comes from \______. Leading to a greater occurrence of air pollution, which is a \_____ problem.

China
global

electricity is powered by \_______

soft coal

Sulphur oxides (SOx)

Burning of coal and oil, extraction of metals from ore
SO2 dissolve in water vapour to form acids (soluble in water)
Acids react with other gases and particles and form sulphates (choking in Indonesia)
Transported over long distances
Respiratory illnesses, aggravates existing heart and lung diseases

VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)

Variety of organic compounds used as
solvent in industry, automobiles
(All) Hydrocarbons:methane, butane, propane
Some produce photochemical smog
- strong smell

Lead (Pb)

Metal
Vehicles and industrial sources
Leaded gasoline
Particularly effect young children
Deposit on soil and water (leaded pipes)
Children accidentally can eat soil

ozone formula

VOC + NOx + Heat + Sunlight \= Ozone

Ozone (O3)

Summertime pollutant, time of the day, seasonal, climate
Good in stratosphere
Bad on a ground
Transported on long distances
Lung damage (small airways)
Shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing and nausea
Irritate and damage eyes, nose, sinuses and throat
People who exercise a lot outdoors

smog

Smoke + fog \= Smog (first used in 1905)
Photochemical smog - L.A.type of smog or brown air
Sulphurous smog- London type of smog or industrial smog

composition of photochemical smog

- nitric acid (HNO3)
- PANs (peroxyacyl nitrates)
- Formaldehyde and other aldehydes
- Ozone (O3)

source of pollutants of photochemical smog

- nitric oxide (NO)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) and Hydrocarbons (HC)

Indoor air pollution

Contains 2-5 times higher concentration of hazardous pollutants than outdoor air
Buildings more airtight to conserve energy, INADEQUATE VENTILATION
People spend about 90% of their time indoors
Children, pregnant women, elderly, people with chronic illnesses

Indoor air pollution: Sources of pollutants

Building materials and furnishing
Asbestos insulation
Wet or damp carpet
Furniture made of certain pressed wood products
Cleaning products and air fresheners
Personal care and hobbies

Pesticides
Cooking
Bathing
Heating
(combustion of oil, coal,
wood)
Radon
Smoking
Outdoor pollution

Radon-22

From uranium containing rocks

nitrogen oxides indoors

from un-vented gas stoves, wood stoves, kerosene heaters

chloroform indoors

from chlorine treated water in hot showers

para-dichlorobenzene indoors

from mothball crystals, air fresheners

tetrachloroethylene indoors

from dry cleaning fluid

methylene chloride indoors

from paint strippers and thinners

formaldehyde indoors

from furnitureand carpeting from synthetic polymers, particle board, foam insulation

cause of sick building syndrome

due to material added during renovations or ventilation (main cause is poor ventilation)
- difficult to find the source

Health effects of Indoor Air
Pollution

Hard to detect by our senses
Symptoms are similar, need years to
develop
Headaches, tiredness, dizziness, nausea, itchy nose, scratchy throat
Cancer, asthma

Six Common Indoor Air Pollutants

Asbestos

Formaldehyde

Mold and Moisture

Secondhand Smoke

Radon Gas

Air Dust

Asbestos

Group of six different fibrous minerals

Have separable, long, strong and flexible
heating resistant fibers

Used in:
Building materials (roofing shingles, ceilings and floor tiles, paper products, and
asbestos cement products)
Friction products (automobile brake and transmission parts)
Heat resistant fabrics, packaging and coatings

Asbestos in the environment

Do not evaporate into air or dissolve in water, do not brake down
Fibres and particles may remain suspended in the air and carried long distances
Not able to move through soil
- able to break down so small that it is invisible to the naked eye
- undisturbed poses no health risks

How might you be exposed to asbestos?

All to low levels
People working in some industries
People living near these industries
During demolition work and remodelling
From drinking water (natural sources or asbestos containing cement pipes)

Health effects of Asbestos

Affect the lungs and the membrane that surrounds the lungs
Asbestosis- Scar-like tissue, not in general public
Difficulty breathing, often cough, heart enlargement, lead to disability and death
Plaques in the pleural membranes
Increase risk of getting cancer (lung, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, kidney)
Risk increase with smoking
Not related with birth defects
Low levels can be measured in urine, faces, mucus

Formaldehyde

Volatile organic compounds
(VOC), naturally occurring
gases, colourless, strong
smell

Become a gas at normal
room temperature

Also released by burning
wood and natural gas, by
automobile and by cigarettes

Formaldehyde found in

Glue or adhesives in press wood
products (particleboards, MDF,
plywood)
Preservatives in some paints and cosmetics
Coatings that provide permanent press quality to fabrics and draperies
Finish used to coat paper products
Certain insulation materials

Health effects/symptoms of Formaldehyde

Watery eyes, burning sensation in the eyes, nose and throat
Nausea
Coughing
Chest tightness
Asthmatic reactions
Skin rashes
Allergic reactions
Cancer
Some people very
sensitive

Mold and Moisture

- Need moisture, do not need standing water, high relative air humidity
Often undiscovered
Produce tiny spores
Discoloration and odour problems

Mold Health effects

Major source of indoor allergens
Trigger asthma
Produce Toxins
Produce Irritants

The way to control indoor mold growth is to

control moisture (maintaining the relative
humidity between 30-60%)

Secondhand Smoke

Eye, nose and throat irritation
Affect the cardiovascular system
Higher risk of asthma, pneumonia, ear infection, bronchitis in children
- carcinogens attached to clothes are hair inhaled over a couple of days
- fabrics can also carry them - can be released later as THIRD HAND SMOKE

Radon Gas

Colorless, odorless, tasteless
Naturally occurring
Radioactive decay of uranium
From soil and rock into basements and lower floors
Dissolved in groundwater, pumped into wells and then into homes
In construction building blocks

Air Dust

Heating and cooling -forced air system
Dust particles ,
Pollen or other debris
Duct Cleaning Service Providers (every 3 years)

- dust mites, pollen, mold, pet dander, bacteria/viruses

Water covers \______ of Earth surface

71%

World's problems (water)

- Quantity of water
- Quality of water

Withdrawal

total amount of water removed
from a river, lake or aquifer for any purpose.
Some may be returned to the source for
reuse

Use about \____ % of the world's reliable runoff
of surface water and could be using \_____ by 2025

- 54
- 70-90%

Ocean/salt water \= \____ %
fresh water \= \____ %
only \___% is readily accessible fresh water (usually found in lakes)

- 97.4
- 2.6
- 0.014

stress on the world's major river basins

- Canada \= no stress
- U.S. \= some areas of stress

World's problems (water)

Some areas have lots of water but the largest rivers are far from agricultural and population centers

Lots of precipitation arrives during short period but cannot be collected and stored (preservation and conservation methods should be used)

Lakes and rivers shrinks (withdrawal w/o returning to original source)

This lake has been shown through satellite images to have shrank b/c being diverted for irrigation, causing the sea level to subside

Aral Sea

\_____ % of water use for irrigation is consumed and not returned to it's
water basin

85
- agriculture the largest problem of water not being returned to source

Hydrological poverty

One out of six people do not have regular access to clean water (i.e., African countries)

Diarrheal deaths kill over 2 million children annually
- 1st and 2nd years of lives (Africa)
- contaminants are mostly microbes

Toronto Drinking water

- comes from lake ontario
- samples taken twice a day

Two types of drinking water

Surface water - In urban areas
rivers
lakes
springs
cisterns

Ground water- In rural areas
wells

\______ \________ is related to the amount of salt in water

electrical conductivity

aquifer

underground bed or layer yielding ground water for wells and springs etc

2 kinds of aquifers

confined and unconfined (should be carefully monitored)
- confined is under pressure and rises up by itself (called Artesian well), which has less contaminants

roads and streets \______ surface run off, which is normally prevented by \______ \_______

- increases
- vegetation quantity

contaminants of water

2- nitrates and pesticides
- deep-well injection of hazardous wastes
- gasoline storage
- septic tanks
- precipitation puts air pollutants on land (from evaporation of hazardous wastes)
- landfills
- surface impoundment of hazardous wastes

if water's pH is greater than 7

soil may precipitate

if water's pH is less than 7

dissolves most metals (pipes etc.)

water hardness

- hard \= lots of salts
- soft \= not enough - dissolves lead and copper

Contaminants in Drinking Water

1. Microbes
2. Radionuclides
3. Inorganic Contaminants
Arsenic
Fluoride
Lead
Nitrates
4. Industrial Organic Contaminants
Pesticides and Herbicides
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
5. Disinfection byproducts

Fecal Coliform and E. coli bacteria

- contamination with human and animal wastes, diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, renal failure, coagulation disorders
- microbe

Salmonella typhi

typhoid fever (high fever, abdominal pain, constipation)
- microbe

Shigella sp.

more severe abdominal cramping with blood and mucus in the stool
- microbe

Vibrio cholerae

life threatening, rice-water stools
- during Victorian era b4 chlorination of water
- microbe

viruses

- microbe
Norwalk viruses, enteroviruses, adenoviruses - diarrheal illness
Hepatites A- liver inflammation (transmission by contaminated water)
- viruses more difficult to kill

Parasites

Cryptosporidium - parasite that enters lake and rivers through sewage and animal wastes

Giardia lamblia - enters lake and rivers through sewage and animal wastes, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps