Environmental Health

Environmental Health

What is Environmental Health?

  • Environmental health encompasses all aspects of human health, including:
    • Physical health
    • Mental health
    • Spiritual health
    • Quality of life
    • It is concerned with the impact of environmental hazards on health.
    • Encompasses the assessment of environmental factors as they pertain to human health.
    • Involves physical, chemical, biological, social, and psychological factors.

What Are Environmental Hazards?

  • Environmental exposures are extensive and include:
    • The food you eat
    • The water you drink
    • The air you breathe
    • The home you live in
    • The workplace you work in
    • The community you live in
    • The people you associate with
    • Naturally and unnaturally occurring radiation around you
    • The animals around you
    • The pathogens you are exposed to
    • Even the sun you are exposed to
    • And many more aspects affecting human health.

What Are Environmental Diseases?

  • Environmental diseases encompass a vast range of conditions.
    • Defined as any disease that may have an environmental component.
    • Examples include:
    • Cardiovascular disease
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory diseases
    • Substance use disorders
    • Cancers
    • Asthma
    • Accidents and unintentional injuries
    • Motor vehicle accidents
    • Diarrheal disease
    • Malaria
    • Poisonings
    • And many more conditions.

Importance of Environmental Health

  • The environment contributes to 23% of global deaths (around 12.6 million) each year.
    • Greatest contributions observed in the South-East Asia Region.
    • Least contributions identified in the Americas.
    • Approximately 65% of global deaths attributable to the environment are non-communicable.
    • Leading causes include:
      • Stroke: 19.8%
      • Ischemic heart disease: 18.3%
      • Unintentional injuries: 13.5%
      • Cancers: 13.5%
      • Chronic respiratory diseases: 11.1%
    • (Source: WHO; WHO Environmental Health)

Air Quality

  • A significant issue emerging during and after the industrial revolution.
  • Historical incidents leading to awareness of air quality issues:
    • Belgium (1930): 60 deaths due to pollution from steel mills and smelters.
    • Donora, Pennsylvania (1948): 17 deaths in one day due to pollution from zinc refinery and coal-fired industrial operations.
    • London (1952): 4,000 fatalities; the city was shut down due to a toxic fog.
  • These events propelled the field of air pollution epidemiology and pollution control.
  • Current challenges continue in countries experiencing industrial revolutions.

Current Air Quality Issues

  • China is currently facing major air pollution challenges.
    • #1 source of SO2 emissions in the world.
    • Between 350,000 and 500,000 deaths attributable to air pollution annually.
    • The cost of premature mortality due to air pollution in China is estimated at $30.6 billion CAD annually.
    • Additional costs associated with acid rain: approximately $5.8 billion CAD in crop damage and $2.3 billion in material damage.

Air Quality and Health

  • There are strong correlations between air quality and mortality related to:
    • Lung cancer
    • Cardiopulmonary disease
    • Asthma
  • Environment Canada measures air quality through the Air Quality Health Index, which provides reports for many major cities.
  • Canada generally enjoys good air quality and is ranked highly by the WHO.
    • Secondhand smoke is identified as a current environmental hazard of interest, leading to public smoking restrictions.

Drinking Water Quality

  • The United Nations recognized access to clean water as a human right in 2010.
    • Quote: "The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights."
  • In Canada, drinking water is required to be treated to limit contaminants to biologically safe levels.
  • Various means of contamination exist:
    • Industrial processes
    • Landfills
    • Pesticides
    • Natural chemicals (e.g., manganese, arsenic) can leach into groundwater.
    • Contamination can occur post-purification through transport lines (e.g., lead in water mains).
    • (Source: UN; U.N. Human Right to Water)

Health Risks Associated with Drinking Water

  • Numerous diseases are linked to unsafe drinking water:
    • Water-borne illnesses: cholera, guinea worm disease, typhoid, hepatitis A, amoebiasis, etc.
    • Chemical contaminants: arsenicosis, fluorosis, lead poisoning, etc.
  • Specific drinking water issues experienced in Canada include:
    • Lead concentrations
    • E. coli contamination
    • Controversy surrounding fluoride additives (removed from the Prince George water system in 2014)

Food Quality Regulations

  • Canada maintains strict regulations on food additives, though controversies persist.
    • The regulatory process covers all phases: from growing to manufacturing, packaging, and storage.
    • Certain chemicals are banned as food additives in Canada, including:
    • Nitrogen trichloride (bleaching agent in flour)
    • Cobaltous chloride (foam-stabilizer in beer)
    • Benzyl violet (food coloring)
    • Potassium bromate (flour treatment)
  • Due to Canada's stringent regulations, concerns regarding food additives causing cancer are minimal, though research is ongoing.
  • New food additives must receive approval from Health Canada to be permitted on the market, ensuring they are safe for Canadian consumers.

Environmental Contaminants and Their Impacts

  • Numerous environmental contaminants are implicated in diseases, especially chronic diseases and disabilities.
    • Some serious health concerns related to environmental contaminants include:
    • Lead:
      • Previously used in additives for paint and gasoline.
      • Extremely harmful exposure effects, particularly on children.
      • Affects the nervous system, potentially causing coma, convulsions, and death.
      • Long-lasting effects include learning disabilities and behavioral disorders.
      • Associated with ischemic heart disease and stroke.
      • Continuing issues in industrializing countries and can still be found in various materials.
    • Asbestos:
      • Highly flexible, tough mineral resistant to heat and corrosion, extensively used in various industries.
      • Canada was a significant producer and exporter, though exports have been banned since 2018.
      • Asbestos exposure is linked to lung cancer, specifically mesothelioma, with considerable latency between exposure and death.

Effects of Climate Change

  • Climate change is leading to rising temperatures across North America.
    • Increased frequency and severity of heatwaves, which is causing excessive deaths.
    • Projections indicate heat-related mortality could double by 2050 and triple by 2080.
    • Urbanization and an aging population will amplify these impacts.
    • Concerns extend beyond heatwaves; climate stability is increasingly uncertain.
    • Particularly impacted are regions in the north, with notable effects on Indigenous communities and their traditional lifestyles.

Population Vulnerability in Canada

  • Individuals of low socioeconomic status are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards.
    • Indigenous communities in Canada, particularly those on reserves, are most at risk.
    • Reports indicate unsafe drinking water conditions, such as Shoal Lake No. 40 First Nation with a 22-year boil advisory.
    • There is a current construction of a water treatment facility which began in late 2019.
    • These communities often encounter poor sanitation and lack access to high-quality foods.
    • Substandard housing conditions exacerbate environmental hazards, with many Indigenous peoples living in remote areas.

The Inuit Nunangat

  • The traditional territory of the Inuit people, known as the Inuit Nunangat, faces significant threats from climate change.
    • Impacts affect traditional ways of knowing and being, influencing health and safety.

Effects on Inuit Nunangat Communities

  • Weather Knowledge:
    • Less frequently shared across generations; elders are less involved in predicting weather patterns.
    • Environmental and weather-related variables have become increasingly unpredictable.
    • Travel routes have changed, leading to increased costs for fuel due to longer travel distances.
    • There is a loss of traditional weather knowledge among youth.
    • Increased reliance on GPS and satellite imagery has altered traditional practices.
    • Resultant dangers of travel and greater incidents of people being stranded or suffering casualties.
    • A notable decline in engagement with land, impacting physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
    • Overreliance on modern technologies, necessitating a need for integrating traditional weather knowledge.

Key Observations

  • Impacts:
    • Increased communication within and between communities has occurred, although less hunting opportunity exists.
    • Rising occurrences of 'spring fever' among communities due to restrictions and limited mobility.
    • Diminished revenues from the loss of hunting opportunities, with decreasing access to country foods.
    • Recommendations for adaptation include developing food exchanges between communities and addressing increased costs for store-bought foods.

Recommendations for Reducing Environmental Hazards

  • Strategies to mitigate environmental health risks may include:
    • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
    • Move towards low carbon energy generation and decrease reliance on fossil fuels.
    • Enact further smoking bans in public spaces.
    • Increase the use of clean fuels for cooking, heating, and lighting.
    • Reduce occupational exposures and improve overall living conditions.
    • Enhance access to safe drinking water and effective sanitation methods.
    • Use effective sun protection (e.g., sunscreens) and reduce heat exposure.
    • Promote consideration of health across all policies and work towards Truth and Reconciliation.

Questions?

  • Open floor for any inquiries regarding the discussions and topics covered.