HLTHAGE 4Z06 Lecture Notes - Sandra Steingraber, Environmental Health, Diarrhea
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Published on 19 Apr 2013
School
Department
Course
Professor
01/09/2008
Human Health and the Environment
Lecture 1
Your environment is your health (but not the only factor influencing your health)
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.”
•This includes the study of both the direct pathological effects of various
oChemical
oPhysical
oSocial Environment
(housing, urban development, land use and transportation)
What is the environment?
•Environment is everything that affect a living organism
•Effect of environment on human health is so great
oAir
oWater
oSoil
oManmade environment
The Environment
•We cannot choose what happens in the natural environment but sure can help in
changing the events that take place in the environment
•Social environment – are stressed even though we do not know about it which
affects health
•Our health is affected by our environment
•Most of them we can list some we neglect
•Definitely know that the environment affects our health greatly
•Factories, buildings and sewage comprise to form an artificial environment
•We face the growth of the human population
•Population is growing very fast – exponentially
•Our consumption has increased incredibly because of the population
•In a couple of decades the number of people on the planet will exceed the
sustainable number of people the earth can hold
•Cannot support because of resources and the environment
•We are using renewable and nonrenewable resources faster than they can grow
•Renewable resources (trees, water) and non renewable resources (fossil fuels,
oil, coal)
•The bigger question is can the resources of the earth be replenished at this rate
of growth?
•A change in the earth is done so by humans – a form of alteration
•We are aware of issues of environmental health concerns
•Due to economic growth people are drawn to money and earning and seem not
to take notice of the destruction on their health
Life Support EESA10H3 S