ENVR 3400 - intro to env and health + modern env issues

the law of conservation of mass

the mass is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions; explains that consequences of actions are dependent on our frame of reference or the lens that we are looking through

environmental consequences examples

• pesticides in agriculture: “asian” orange in vietnam causing limb loss from pesticides applied 50-60 yrs ago

• lubricants and additives in gasoline: leaded gasoline going into the atmosphere = cognitive disabilities

2 different approaches of health

patho- and saluto- genesis

pathogenesis

factors that lead to illness; focuses on elimination or restriction of bad things to reduce morbidity

salutogenesis

factors that lead to health; focuses on preventions and paradigms that contribute to well-being and quality of life

environmental health

branch of public health that protects against the effects of environmental hazards that can affect health or the ecological balances essential to human health AND the environment quality

ancient challenges in environmental health

• food safety: methods to preserve

• dietary restrictions: Jewish and Islamic law of no pig consumption due to microorganisms

• rodents: bringing disease = Black death plague

• water quality: must be monitored + no defecation

• air quality: evidence of pollution in ancient peoples’ sinuses from cave fires

Ecological Model / Epidemiological Triangle of Disease

says that disease, and other health related problems, are caused by an imbalance between agent, host, and environment (e.g. smoking = chemical agent, sedentary lifestyle = host)

ecological model factors

host, agent, environment

host (ecological model factor)

individual susceptibility, harbors or is infected by agent

can be impacted further by immune status, sex, age, socioeconomic status

agent (ecological model factor)

biological, chemical, and hazards that can induce disease

e.g. microorganisms, toxic chemicals, extreme temperatures, radiation

environment (ecological model factor)

• extrinsic factors that affect exposure to agent, effectiveness of agent, or susceptibility of host

  • example: sanitation, population density, access to health care

urban environments foster the spread of disease through…

non-existent water supplies, air pollution, manure, litter, unpaved streets

Charles Thackrah

English physician who noticed disparities in diseases and death among poor workers in 1831

• recommended lead elimination in pottery and ventilation for knife grinders

• Factory Act 1833 and Mines Act 1842

William Farr

first evidence of environmental justice; outbreaks of typhoid fever and influenza - wrote Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population

examples of some of the greatest advances in increasing life expectancy in the past 200 years

antibiotics, vaccines, workplace safety, air pollution regulation, toxin regulation, traffic laws

what was a major factor that contributed to a huge drop in total mortality rates / huge rise in life expectancy?

clean water and pasteurization of milk

industrialization leads to recognition of ________ _______

environmental justice

diffusion of responsibility

when we see so much of something it feels inevitable = inaction

Black Code Laws

strict local and state laws (after the abolition of slavery) that detailed…

• where black people could work

• how much they got paid

• where they lived

• taking away voting rights

• taking their children away for indentured servitude

how does jim crow laws relate to environmental justice

black people were forced to move to underdeveloped + underserviced areas = where unregulated approval, usage, and disposal of chemicals, toxins, and microbial contamination resulted in:

• US EPA 1970

• Envr. Canada 1971

  • … to combat these environmental issues

in what ways does environmental injustice disproportionately affect Black communities?

exposure to environmental hazards, including …

• industrial runoff

• contaminated water

• air pollution from factories and diesel transportation

• waste disposal

• inadequate housing

• limited safe play areas

• lack of nutritious food

examples of heavy industrial regions

East Chicago and Rouge River near Detroit

which communities have the greatest lifetime cancer risk

hispanics, asians, blacks

what is the major driver of cancer risk for people of color?

segregation

segregation

the act process or policy of keeping people, groups, or things apart from a main body or from one another

systemic racism

race-based discrimination that goes beyond isolated individual wrongdoing to encompass broader patterns of racial inequality

white supremacy

the institutionalization of whiteness and white privilege and the historical, social, political, and economic systems and structures that contribute to its continued dominance and subordination

whiteness

and ideology and logic …

a set of assumptions, beliefs, and practices that place the interests and perspectives of white people at the center of what is considered normal and everyday

intersectionality

how social and political identities (e.g. gender, race, class, sexuality, ability) overlap to create unique combinations of discrimination and privilege

misogynoir

a term that combines the racism towards women who are black

how are women susceptible to environmental exposures

unique exposures through certain jobs (e.g. healthcare)

unique susceptibilities → reproductive systems

how are children susceptible to environmental exposures

eat more food, drink more water, breathe more air per body weight than adults

behaviour like crawling on floors, hands in mouth, etc., drastically increase exposure to biological and chemical hazards

fields highlighting environmental injustice

metagenomics and mutations

epidemiology

toxicology

ecotoxicology

environmental psychology

… and many social science and regulatory disciplines

what is the vision of environmental justice?

• eliminating economic disparities, environmental exposures, health inequities, and aligning with public health priorities