Question

Humans interact with the environment constantly. These interactions affect quality of life, years of healthy life lived and health disparities. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines environment, as it relates to health, as “all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related behaviors.”

Environmental health consists of preventing or controlling disease, injury, and disability related to the interactions between people and their environment. How does this affect the quality of public health? Please explain how one’s natural environment of exposure to toxic substances and other physical hazards can be harmful to public health/ safety?

Answer 1

• Human always interact with the environment. These inetraction may affect the quality of life.
• The Healthy People 2020 Environmental Health objective focus on six themes:

1. Outdoor air quality
2. Surface and ground water quality
3. Toxic substances and hazardous wastes
4. Homes and community
5. Infrastructure and surveillance
6. Global environmental health

Globally 23% of all death and 26% of death among children under age 5 are due to preventable environmental factors.

Poor environmental quality has greatest impact on people whose health status are at risk.

• Toxic substances and hazardous wastes:
  • It also affects the public health.
  • Wastes that is not properly managed like excreta and other liquid and solid waste from household and the community can cause serious health hazards and lead to spread of infectious disease i.e cholera.
  • Plastic waste can also cause severe environmental health issue which leads to health hazards.
  • Wastes from industries are dumped in water and ground source lead to accumulation of toxic substances in food chain through plant and animal that feed on it.
  • Waste treatment and disposal sites can also create health hazards.

Proper methods of waste disposal should be undertaken to ensure the environment healthy.