Learning objectives
At the end of this lecture student will be able to : 1-Define the terms environment , sanitation , environmental sanitation & environmental health . 2-Identify main components of environment. 3-Enumerate ecological factors . 4-Categorize the scope of environmental health . 5-Describe specific problems facing environmental health . 6-Outline types of environment . 7-Arrange the addressing health problems . To a level accepted to the accreditation standard of the College .Environment & Health
Environment: is the aggregate of all the external conditions and influences affecting the life and development of a person, an organization or a society.۞ The term environment implies all the external factors living and non- living, material and non-material which surround man. ۞ Environment includes not only the water, air and soil that form our environment but also the social and economic conditions under which we live.۞ Three main components ,all are closely related:-1.Physical: water, air, soil, housing, wastes, radiation ,..etc.2.Biological: plant & animal life including bacteria ,viruses ,insects ,rodents and animals.3.Social: customs ,culture, habits, income, occupation, religion …etc.
۞ The key to man’s health lies largely in his environment.Much of man’s ill–health can be traced to adverse environmental factors such as water pollution , soil pollution , air pollution , poor housing conditions ,presence of animal reservoirs and insect vectors of diseases which pose a constant threat to man’s health .
۞Man is responsible for the pollution of his environment through urbanization, industrialization and other human activities. ۞ Sanitation is the science of safeguarding health.
Sanitation
۞ It is a way of life , it is the quality of living that is expressed in the clean home ,the clean farm, the clean business ,the clean neighborhood and the clean community .Environmental Sanitation
۞ The control of all those factors in man’s physical environment which exercise a deleterious effect on his physical development ,health and survival.۞ In actual fact , the term sanitation covers the whole field of controlling the environment with a view to prevent disease and promote health.* Two main factors:-
1.Controllable factors : those included in the standard of living ( food, water, housing, clothing... etc).2.Uncontrollable factors: air pollution in urban centers, industrial growth, radio-active pollution ,industrial wastes …etc.۞ Controllable factors are responsible for considerable improvement in population health of developed countries during the past century.۞However, man’s mastery over his environment is not complete. Demographic growth and fast urbanization brought a profound social and environmental change.۞The term environmental sanitation is now being replaced by environmental health.۞Proper environmental health requires the services of public health doctors, epidemiologist ,public health engineers ,town planners, sociologist, economist and health inspectors.
۞A combined multi–disciplinary program of action is needed.۞The purpose of environmental health is to create and maintain ecological conditions that will promote health and prevent disease.۞The first step in any health program is through environmental control of those factors, which are harmful to health.
Ecological Factors
1. Physical factors. 2.Biological factors. 3.Social & cultural factors. 4.Economic factors. 5.Sanitary factors. 6.Urbanization & Industrialization. 7.Demographic factors. 8.Political and administrative factors. 9.Heriditary factors. 10.Medical care.Environmental health:
is defined by WHO "is the ecological balance that must exist between man and his environment; in order to ensure his well-being". This well-being concerns the "whole man" not only his physical health, but also his mental health and the optimum social relations within his environment. In the same way it concerns the "whole environment", from the individual human dwelling to the entire atmosphere.The scope of environmental health
Environmental health may embrace some or all of the following areas of concern: 1-Planning, design, construction and maintenance of water supply systems to ensure that water is adequate, safe and readily available. 2-Methods for the safe collection and disposal of human excreta. 3-Control of insects, rodents and animal reservoirs of disease in areas where they are of significant importance.4-Protection of all water sources from chemical, biological and radioactive contamination. 5-Collection and disposal of refuse and liquid waste other than excreta. 6-Food and milk sanitation. 7-Supervision of the public health aspects of residential areas, schools,, and other public buildings and places of congregation such as fairs, festivals, camps, swimming pools, etc.
8-Control of health hazards – physical, chemical, and biological – arising from occupational exposure in industry and agriculture.9-Control of health hazards arising from environmental and man made catastrophes; such as floods, cyclones, wars, etc.10-Control of industrial pollution.11-Control of environmental health aspects of air, sea, and land transport.12-Global environmental pollution:Ozone layer depletion.Acidic deposition.Green house effect (warming of the earth).
Specific problems facing environmental health:
۞Human well-being are influenced by environment, and many diseases can be initiated, sustained, or exacerbated by environmental factors.۞ Understanding and controlling people's interactions with their environment is an important component of public health.۞ In the broadest sense, environmental health is the subfield of public health concerned with assessing and controlling the impacts of people on their environment (including vegetation, other animals, and natural and historic land marks) and the impacts of the environment on them.۞ The field of environmental health is defined more by the problems faced by specific approaches used.The problems faced include:
1-The treatment and disposal of liquid and air borne wastes . 2-The elimination or reduction of stresses in the work place. 3-Purification of drinking water supplies. 4-The development and use of measures to protect hospital and other medical workers from being infected with diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
5-Long range problems including: A-The effects of toxic chemicals and radio-active wastes. B-Acidic deposition. C-Depletion of the ozone layer. D-Global warming (green house effect phenomena).
Types of environment (system approach).
1-The inner versus – outer environment: Two environments (human body) inside and outside environments. It includes barriers: (Skin , GI T , Lungs)2-Personal environment: People have control with working on ambient environment. Provision of personal hygiene, diet, sexual practices, exercise, use of drugs and alcohol and frequency of medical checkups often has much more influence on well-being.3-The solid, liquid and gaseous environments. Each is subject to pollution and people interact with all of them and through the different routes. The system approach ensures that each problem is examined not in isolation, but in term of how it interact with and can affect other segments of the environment and people's daily life .
4-The chemical, biological, physical and socioeconomic environment: A-Chemical constituents and contaminants such as toxic waste and pesticides in the general environment and chemicals used in the home and in industrial operations and preservatives used in food . B-Biological contaminants such as various disease pathogens that may present in food and water , transmitted by insects and animals or transmitted by person to person contact.
C-Physical factors which influence health and well-being as what occur in work places or traffic accidents , noise, heat & cold, ionizing and non ionizing radiation. D-Socioeconomic factors which affect people's life and health. Low economic people are less healthy. The factors which contribute to this factor is inadequate nutrition and poor care to such stressful social conditions.
1-Support from legislators to pass laws, mandate regulations. 2-Development and enforcement of programs to evaluate and control various pollutants through allocation of needed funds. 3-Support from public health educators to promote public participation in the development programs and to ensure that regulations and requirements are fully understood by industrial organization. 4-Support from planners and economists to ensure that limited funds will be spend in the most effective way. 5-Support of organizations through which people can work to bring about corrective action at the local, state and international levels.
Addressing health problems: