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FA18_KNH125_14.Environmental.Health.pptxEnvironmental Health
Lecture 14
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Overview
Understand fertility rate and its effect on population growth.
Understand what is meant by Air Quality Index (AQI), Indoor Air Pollution, Naturally Occurring Air Pollutants, and Anthropogenic Air Pollutants.
Understand the evidence of global warming (“Earth’s Climate Rhythm” graph).
Know the difference between point source and non-point source pollutants of water.
Understand strategies to control solid waste associated with land pollution.
Know the difference between nonionizing and ionizing radiation.
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Why Learn Environmental Health?
People in one region may be healthier than people in another region.
Variation in the environment is one of the main reasons why people living in different places have different health outcomes.
Environment affects people (e.g. eating fish from contaminated water)
People affect the environment (e.g. unfiltered disposal of waste water)
You get to choose where you live, and you should know about environmental health to choose wisely
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Overpopulation
Slowing population growth = essential environmental challenge
Overpopulation excess resource use & waste
Impact on other species
Impact on our food supply
Land degradation and contamination of drinking water
Impact on energy consumption
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Overpopulation
Fertility rate is generally higher in developing countries
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Air Pollution
Air pollution refers to the presence of substances – suspended particles & vapors – not found in perfectly clean air
Air pollutants are either…
Naturally occurring (e.g., wildfire), or
Human caused (“Anthropogenic”)
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Air Pollution
Components/causes of air pollution
Particulate matter (growing problem), sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, lead, etc.
Photochemical Smog
Acid deposition
Ozone layer depletion
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Air Pollution
Air Quality Index
EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI) measures how clean or polluted air is, and notes health effects that can happen within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air.
Current AQI & Forecast available
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Indoor Air Pollution
Air inside buildings can be as hazardous or more hazardous than outdoor air.
Prevention of indoor air pollution should focus on three main areas:
Source control
Ventilation improvements
Air cleaners
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Climate Change & Global Warming
Greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon in which greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2) warm the planet.
Climate change in recent centuries attributed to unnatural increase in greenhouse gases.
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Other greenhouse gases include nitrous oxide, methane, CFCs, and hydrocarbons
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Climate Change & Global Warming
Scientific consensus on evidence of global warming is NOT in dispute
https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/
TED Talk: Time Lapse Proof of Extreme Ice Loss
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Water Pollution
75% of Earth is covered with water in the form of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.
However, over half the global population faces a shortage of clean fresh water.
Point source vs. non-point source pollutants
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Water Pollution
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Land Pollution
Much of the waste that pollutes the water also pollutes the land
Land pollution due to population growth
More people on planet
More waste created
Need to accommodate more waste
More landfills & land pollutions
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Land Pollution
Solid waste
Implementing & Enforcing Recycling Programs
Composting
Source reduction
Combustion with energy recovery
Hazardous waste
Money from Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (a.k.a. Superfund) used to clean up hazardous waste dump sites
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Environmental Hazard: Radiation
When you study environmental health…
You generally learn: types of hazard, source of exposure, health effects of exposure, reason for harm, individual diagnosis/prevention/treatment strategies, environmental/population control strategies, etc.
This class: brief overview with one example (radiation)
Radiation: emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles.
Exposure to radiation is practically inescapable – only some form of radiation poses threat to human health.
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Environmental Hazard: Radiation
Two types of radiation:
Nonionizing Radiation
Radiation at the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Not enough energy to remove electrons or alter cell integrity, and usually not harmful
Examples of nonionizing radiation are radio waves, TV signals, microwaves, infrared waves, and visible light.
Ionizing Radiation
Caused by the release of particles and electromagnetic rays from atomic nuclei during the normal process of disintegration.
Exposure is measured in radiation absorbed doses (rads).
Recommended maximum safe dosages range: 0.5~5 rads per year.
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Additional Resources
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Official website of federal agency in charge of environmental protection
Youtube: “STORY OF BOTTLED WATER”
Is drinking bottled water a good way to deal with water pollution?
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Take-Away Points
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Environment affects individuals’ health outcome, and protection or management of environment is critical to assure maintenance of healthy life.
Air-water-land pollution are interlinked. When assessing air quality, both indoor and outdoor air quality are important.
Most critical environmental challenge today is slowing population growth, as overcrowding tend to cause social and health problems.
Global warming or climate change is not a myth, and scientific evidence behind it is not in dispute.
Promoting/supporting the use of environment-friendly energy and recycling are some of the ways to protect the environment.
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Announcements
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Reminder: Assignment #6 due next Saturday
Submit it ASAP (easy)
Reminder: PSA videos due soon!
Class cancelled for Thanksgiving week
Available for meetings & emails
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