CH 17 Environmental hazards

Environmental health

the study of how environmental factors affect human health and quality of life

Epidemiology

Branch of medical science concerned with the incidence, distribution, and control of diseases that affect large numbers of people.

Morbidity

Refers to ill health in an individual and the levels of ill health in a population or group.

Mortality

death rate

Life expectancy

The average number of years an individual can be expected to live, given current social, economic, and medical conditions. Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn infant can expect to live.

Hazard

(n.) risk, peril; (v.) to expose to danger or harm; to gamble

Risk

a situation involving exposure to danger

Biological hazard

a biological substance, such as bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens, that can cause harm to living organisms, including humans, animals, and plants

Zoonotic disease

disease that can be passed between animals and humans

Chemical hazard

When a chemical poses a danger to organisms

Toxicology

study of poisonous substances and their effects upon body parts

Toxicity

the degree to which a substance is biologically harmful.

Physical hazard

factors in the environment or workplace that can cause harm through exposure, contact, or direct physical force

Cultural Hazard

hazard such as smoking, unsafe working conditions, poor diet, drugs, drinking, driving, criminal assaults, unsafe sex, and poverty.

Pollutant

harmful material that can enter the biosphere through the land, air, or water

Industrial Hazard

Any situation that an industry creates that could result in personal harm or death, as well as the loss of goods or property, is considered an

Risk assessment

the process of measuring risk

Epidemiological studies

investigate the relationship between environmental exposures (like pollutants or climate change) and human health outcomes

Dose response assessment

the measurement of the relationship between the amount of exposure and the occurrence of the unwanted health effects

Cost benefit analysis

a study that compares the costs and benefits to society of providing a public good

Risk-benefit analysis

a deliberate evaluation of the potential risks (e.g., limitations, side effects, costs) and benefits (e.g., treatment outcomes, efficiency, savings) associated with a given intervention. should conclude with a course of action associated with greater benefits than risks.

Public preference

refers to how the public values and prioritizes environmental issues and policies

indirect pollutant

Indirect pollution is the contamination of the environment that results from the effects of a primary action, rather than from a direct release of a pollutant

direct pollutant

the release of contaminants directly from an identifiable source into the environment.

local pollutant

the contamination of a specific area's air, water, and soil from sources like factories, farms, or vehicle emissions, directly affecting the health of that community and its ecosystem. It differs from global pollution in that its effects are contained to a geographically limited area, such as a neighborhood, town, or region.

global pollutant

the introduction of harmful substances into the environment that negatively affects living organisms and natural systems worldwide