ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

AND TOXICOLOGY

https://redaway.com/blog/keeping-our-environment-healthy/
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
 Focuses on:
- disease-causing factors
(elements of the natural,
social, cultural, and
technological worlds)

- Rachel Carson’s Silent

Spring (1962): focused
on the discharge,
movement, fate, and
effects of synthetic
chemical toxins
HEALTH – state of complete physical, mental, and
social well-being, not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity

DISEASE – abnormal change

in the body’s condition

– impairment of the important

psychological body functions
 POLLUTION – undesirable change in the
environment; contaminating the environment

https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/industrial-pollution-environment-cartoon-vector_4997219.htm

point sources – introduced pollutants into

https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/environmental-pollution-cartoon-pattern-vector-11880995

the environment

area sources – emit and mobile sources – contribute pollutants

dispersed pollutants (exhaust of vehicles)
 TOXICOLOGY – study of toxins (poisons) and its
effects to both biotic and abiotic entities in the
environment

http://www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00---off-0envl--00-0-
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00&cl=CL1.1&d=HASH0192c760fbf07f7d6fa34cb8.6.3&gt=1
TOXICOLOGY – study of toxins (poisons) and its
effects to both biotic and abiotic entities in the
environment

broad field (biochemistry,

histology, pathology,
pharmacology, and many
other disciplines
 Classification of Toxic Agents

Allergens
– activates the immune system
– used in plastics, fabrics, glue,
insulation and wood products

Sick building syndrome:

headaches, allergies, chronic

fatigue, and other symptoms
caused by poorly vented indoor
air contaminated by allergens

https://sites.google.com/site/asthmainchildrenreckoner/list-of-common-environmental-allergens
 Classification of Toxic Agents

Immune System Depressants

– depresses the immune system
– pesticide residues, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)
– makes the immune system susceptible to opportunistic infections

https://www.spokaneaquifer.org/what-are-pcbs/
 Classification of Toxic Agents

Immune System Depressants

– depresses the immune system
– pesticide residues, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)
– makes the immune system susceptible to opportunistic infections

https://www.spokaneaquifer.org/what-are-pcbs/
Classification of Toxic Agents

Endocrine System Disruptors

– interfere with the function of normal chemical messengers
– hormone mimics: have similar shape to natural hormones and amply
their effects
– hormone blockers: prevent natural hormones from attaching to target
organ
ESD is linked to
increased risk
of:
o breast cancer
o developmental
& reproductive
toxicity
o Allergies
o immunotoxicity
.
Classification of Toxic Agents

Neurotoxins
– attack nerve cells
– inhibit the enzyme that regulates signal
transmission between nerve cells and the
tissues or organs
– responsible for widespread behavioral and
cognitive problems
– lead, mercury, ether, chloroform

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/the-toxins-that-threaten-our-brains/284466/
Classification of Toxic Agents

Mutagens
– damage DNA leading to birth defects or
tumor growth
– can be passed on to future generations
(damage in reproductive cells)

https://www.ck12.org/book/ck-12-biology/section/7.3/
Classification of Toxic Agents

Teratogens
– chemicals that cause birth defects (in fetus)
– can cause sensory impairment, lacks
coordination, and disruption of nervous system
functions
– lead, mercury

https://secure.thehubedu.com/shelves/7582-motor-development-kines-199?item_id=41592
Classification of Toxic Agents

Carcinogens
– substances that promotes cancer
development
– may cause cancer by altering cellular
metabolism or damaging DNA directly in https://www.shutterstock.com/search/carcinogen

cells
– interferes with normal biological
processes
MOBILITY, DISTRIBUTION, AND FATE
Exposure and
susceptibility to
toxins determine how
we respond to them
Bioaccumulation
and
biomagnification
increase
concentrations of
toxins.

Biomagnification occurs when the toxic

burden of a large number of organisms at a
lower trophic level is accumulated and
concentrated by a predator in a higher
trophic level.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

– often accumulate in food webs and reach toxic levels in

long-living predators (humans, sharks, bears)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)

–used as flame-retardants
in textiles, foam in upholstery, and plastic
in appliances and computers

–low exposures in the womb or after birth can

irreparably harm children’s reproductive and
nervous systems

http://www.nuigalway.ie/elevate/pops/whattomeasure/
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

– often accumulate in food webs and reach toxic levels in

long-living predators (humans, sharks, bears)

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid

(PFOA
–used as to make non-stick waterproof
and stain-resistant products
–has been shown t o cause liver
damage as well as various cancers
and reproductive and developmental
problems inrats

–exposure may be especially

dangerous to women and girls,
(100x more sensitive than men to
these chemicals)
http://nourishnutritionboise.com/cookware/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa/
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

– often accumulate in food webs and reach toxic levels in

long-living predators (humans, sharks, bears)

Phthalates
–found in cosmetics, deodorants, and
plastics (PVC)
– used food packaging, children’s toys,
and medical devices

– some cause kidney and liver

damage and possibly some
cancers
–act as endocrine hormone
disrupters, and have been
linked to reproductive
abnormalities and decreased
fertility
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/something-else-to-avoid-in-pregnancy-phthalates-2019031516224
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

– often accumulate in food webs and reach toxic levels in

long-living predators (humans, sharks, bears)

Perchlorate
–waterborne contaminant left over from
propellants and rocket fuels

– can interfere with iodine

uptake in the thyroid gland,
disrupting adult metabolism
and childhood development

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/erik-d-olson/epa-refuses-protect-children-perchlorate-contaminated-tap-water
Chemical Interactions can Increase Toxicity

 Antagonistic reactions

 some materials interfere with the effects or

stimulate the breakdown of other chemicals
(Vitamins E and A can reduce the response to
some carcinogens)

 others are additive when they occur together in

exposures (rats exposed to both lead and arsenic
show twice the toxicity of only one of these
elements)
 Chemical Interactions can Increase Toxicity

 Synergism

 an interaction in which
one substance
exacerbates the effects
of another
(occupational asbestos
exposure or smoking
increases lung cancer
rates 20x; asbestos
workers who smoke has
400x increase in cancer
rates)

https://www.babyboomers.com/article/asbestos-exposure-during-your-working-years-can-come-back-to-haunt-
your-retirement/5e9e0a7ee4b007bf6ef1fa60
 MEASURING TOXICITY
– a convenient way to describe the toxicity of a
chemical is to determine the dose to which fifty
percent (50%) of the test population is sensitive
(LD50)

https://v10plus.co.jp/10-toxic-beauty-ingredients-to-avoid/
https://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/fc.6.toxicity.measures.html
https://thoughtscapism.com/2018/05/07/measures-of-toxicity/
RISK ASSESSMENT AND ACCEPTANCE
 Risk – possibility of suffering harm or loss

 Risk assessment: scientific process of estimating

the threat that particular hazards pose to human
health; includes risk identification, dose response
assessment, exposure appraisal, and risk
characterization

 Exposure assessment: estimation o r determination

of the magnitude, frequency, duration, and route of
exposure to a possible toxin

 Risk management: combines principles of

environmental health and toxicology together with
regulatory decisions based on socioeconomic,
technical, and political considerations
 Considerations in setting
standards for environmental
toxins:

 combined effects of exposure to

many different sources of damage

 different sensitivities of members

of the population

 effects of chronic as well as acute

exposures
https://images.app.goo.gl/zskX5jcF9wZmJKFo7
 What risks are
generally considered
acceptable?
 high probability of
exposure with low
severity (mercury in
sea foods)

 low probability of
exposure with high
severity (nuclear
power plants)
Public policy decisions are
made based on risk
assessment and
promoting the best health
possible in the population.
 Examples of labels that have
been required or proposed as
a result of public health
concerns.
“Do you want t o s t o p
reading those
ingredients while
we’re t r y i n g to
eat?”