INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

HEALTH MAN AND ENVIRONEMENT

• According to the WHO, health pertains to a state of complete
physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.
• Not just physically, also psychologically, spiritually, socially,
etc.
o Other can function normally but deep inside is
suffering from depression
• The quality of life is directly related to the quality of the
environment
o Ex: poverty = poor sanitation, no access to basic
needs
• Pure food and water, clean air and neighborhood

• Main factors:
LEVELS OF CONCERN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
o Genetic factors
▪ Abnormality in genes
• Devised by Winthrop in 1968
▪ Code for a certain disease
• Levels
▪ Can be transferred from parents to
o Bare survival
offspring
▪ Minimum basic need
▪ control of major disease epidemics and
o Personal behavior
violent death; minimum food and water
▪ Lifestyle
o Control of disease and injury
o Environmental
▪ control of endemic and dietary disease
and accidental injury
ENVIRONMENT
o Efficient performance
• All that which is external to the individual host ▪ Adequate and proper diet
• The environment is further believed to be grouped as ▪ maintenance of environment for efficient
physical, biological, and social & cultural which can influence use of manpower
health status in populations
o Physical o Comfort
▪ Land, air, water, noise pollutions ▪ Stimulating environment
▪ Aesthetic satisfaction
o Biological ▪ Comfort control
o Social
o cultural factors
▪ Cultural practices o Survival of human species

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

• Aspects of human health that are determined by physical, ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

biological factors in the environment
• Branch of engineering concerned with:
• The theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling
o Protection of human populations from the effects of
and preventing factors in the environment that can adversely
adverse environmental factors
affect the health of present and future generations
o Protection of the environment from the potentially
deleterious effects of human activities
• Basic requirements for a healthy environment
o Improvement of environmental quality for human
o Clean air
health and well-being
o Safe and sufficient water
o Safe and adequate food
o Safe and peaceful settlements
o Stable and global environment

SELF-CHECK ACTIVITY:
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
1. Research for examples and list them down In your notebook.
• Hazards
o Substances or situations, anything that could
potentially cause harm or injury to an individual • Types of environmental hazards
• Examples of diseases and disorders
• Chemical • Environmental engineering
o Air pollutants, toxins, pesticides and volatile organic • Research anything that has something to do with
compounds (VOCs) environmental engineering

• Biological
o Disease organisms present in food and water

• Physical
o Noise, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation
o Heat, electricity, wet floors, etc

• Socioeconomic / psychological
o Poor access to safe and sufficient health care
o Anxiety, overcrowding, isolation and anomie

EARLIS
 AIR QUALITY AND POLLUTION

AIR POLLUTION MAJOR AIR POLLUTANTS

• Air pollution refers to the contamination of the indoor or
outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological
agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the
atmosphere.
• Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial
facilities, and forest fires are common sources of air pollution.
• Pollutants of major public health concern include particulate
matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur
dioxide.
• Outdoor and indoor air pollution cause respiratory and other
diseases and is an important source of morbidity and mortality
(WHO.org)
• Worlds largest environmental health risk that leads to millions
of death each year
• Primary - Emitted from identifiable sources
o emitted from identifiable sources ( e.i. particulate matter,
carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide)
o Particulate matter are quantified as:
▪ Total suspended particulate (tsp)
▪ Pm10
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
o Contributed by diesel powered motor vehicles
o Diesel, coal, oil, power plants and smelters
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
o Nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide and nitrous oxide
o Motor vehicle emissions and fossil fuel burning

• Vulnerable people: • Hydrocarbon (HCs)

o Elderly o Basic component of oils
o Children o Motor vehicle emission and power plants
o With chronic lung and heart dieases
• Sulfur oxides (Sox)
AIR POLLUTION SOURCES o SO2, SO3, SO4, and H2SO4
o Due to diesel oil
• OUTDOOR (AMBIENT) o Industry, cigarette smoke, diesel and gasoline
o Fuel combustion smoke and fumes
o Industrial operations
o Solid waste disposal • Secondary – unidentifiable sources
o Nuclear devices o results from the suspension of some primary pollutants
o Smoking (e.i. ozone, PAN)
o Miscellaneous sources o React to chemical reactions
▪ Volcanic eruption
▪ Typhoons
• Photochemical oxidants
▪ fires o Involves sunlight
▪ Construction
• Ozone (O3)
• Miscellaneous outdoor source o Tropogenic ozone in the stratosphere
o Natural or artificial o Anthropogenic (man-made) ozone
▪ Forest or structural fires
▪ Construction and demolition work
• Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN)
▪ Volcanic eruptions
o Same as TSP sources
▪ Typhoons carry soil into the air

• Could be:
o Natural (biogenic) FATE OF AIR POLLUTANTS
▪ Pollen
▪ Bushfires • Photochemical reactions
▪ Dust • Scavenging processes or disposal reactions
• Dilution, diffusion and dispersion
o Human (anthropogenic)
▪ Industry
▪ Burning fossil fuels
▪ Motor vehicles AIR POLLUTANTS AND THEIR DISPOSAL REACTIONS

POLLUTANT DISPOSAL REACTIONS

CO Soil organisms
• INDOOR SO2 Oxidation to sulfate
o Cooking and heating Soluble: stays in the air for only May undergo intermediate
o Building materials a few minutes. processes and become H2SO4
o Office machines Reducing agent that can cause acid rain
o Furnishings NO/NO2 Oxidation to nitrate
o Household cleaning substances Soluble: stays in the air for only
o Street dust / garden soil a few minutes
o Biological agents HC Photochemical reaction: 10% in
o Tobacco smoke the stratosphere 90% in
o Industrial operations biosphere (marine)
Particulate Matter Processes that will terminate
their existence in the air:
absorption, adsorption, rain out
or wash out
CO2 Photosynthesis
May stay in the air for thousands Absorption in oceans
of years

EARLIS
 AIR QUALITY AND POLLUTION

AIR POLLUTION EFFECTS TYPES OF AIR POLLUTANTS:

1. ENVIRONMENTAL 1. PARTICULATE MATTER (PM)

A. Land • Industry
• Adverse effect on soil and other surfaces • Vehicle exhausts
• Dust storms
B. Water • bushfires
• Adverse effects of acid gases on marine life and • Less than 10micrometers in diameter
vegetation • Can reach the deepest parts of the lungs and enter
• Settling or air particles in water causes water blood stream
pollution
2. NITROGEN DIOXIDE (NO2)
C. Vegetation • Is form when fuel is burned at high temperature
• Chlorosis – discoloration • Burning duel
• Necrosis – drying up • Vehicle exhausts
• Abscission – premature falling out of flowers • Industry
• Plasmolysis – disturbance in the water balance • Power plants
• Growth suppression • Gas stovetops
• Reduced yield
• Soiling / dirtying effect – light could not penetrate 3. CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
leaves → no photosynthesis • Colorless and odorless
• Formed when incomplete burning of carbon
2. HEALTH • Motor vehicle exhaust
A. Acute and Chronic diseases • Industry
B. Changes in Important physiological functions
• Incinerators
• CO poisoning • bushfires
• Carbon monoxide is very high in areas with heavy
C. Superficial physical damage
traffic congestions
• Sensory irritations
• Discomfort, impairment of visibility and odor 4. SULFURE DIOXIDE (SO2)
• Other effects such as transfer of residence or • Formed when burning of sulfur containing fuels
change of work • Powerplants
• Refineries
D. Indirect effects
• Mental health and well being 5. LEAD (Pb)
• Produced as result of metal and ore processing
E. Death
• Motor vehicle exhaust used to be a major source
• Regulatory efforts to reduce lead in fuel lead to
reduction of lead emissions

6. OZONE (O3)
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL • Produced as sunlight acting on other chemicals in
the air
1. TECHNOLOGICAL (technologies)
• Ground level ozone is pollutant
a. DILUTION AND DISPERSION
• Ozone in atmosphere has protective action
• Use of tall stacks or chimney
7. FORMALDEHYDE
b. CONTAINMENT
8. METHYLSOCYANATE
• Use of air cleaning devices such as cyclones, 9. PCB
scrubbers, filters and precipitants 10. XYLENE
11. PAH
2. ADMINISTRATIVE (laws) 12. BENZENE
• Rules, regulations and standards on air quality and 13. TOLUENE
emissions
• Zoning
• Proper siting of potential sources
• Factories

• Utilizing meteorological conditions / factors

EARLIS
 SOLID WASTES

SOLID WASTE WASTE GENERATION

• Are all waste arising from human and animal activities that are
normally solid and that are discarded as useless or unwanted
• In metro manila – 6000 tons of garbage is generated per day
o EX: food waste, wrappers, feces
SIGNIFICANCE
• People living near solid waste dumpsites are constantly
exposed to smoke from spontaneous combustion
• A separate study by Torres et al. and Bacud et al. in 1994
reported that groundwater near dumpsites is contaminated
• Studying it let us have knowledge on proper waste disposal
• Difficult to control and varies with individual values and
behavior
• Varies daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonally
• Waste reduction at source is important to minimize waste
generation
• Generation rate usually peaks during Christmas and summer
seasons
• Quantity of solid waste generated is:
o Important in selecting collection equipment,
collection routes and disposal facilities
o Needed for planning regulatory purposes

WASTE GENERATION RATE (DRY SEASON)

THREE GENERAL CATEGORIES
• Household – 431 grams/person/day
1. MUNICIPAL WASTE • Restaurant – 20,195 grams/shop/day
• Waste arising from domestic, commercial, and • Institution – 83 grams/person/day
institutional activities in urban areas • Market – 9239 grams/shop/day
• This includes: food waste, rubbish, ashes and residues, • Street sweeping - 11663 grams/km/day
demolition and construction, treatment plant waste
• River cleansing - 32527 grams/km/day
2. INDUSTRIAL WASTE
• Waste arising from industrial activity and typically
rubbish, ashes and hazardous waste FACTORS AFFECTING WASTE GENERATION

3. HAZARDOUS WASTE 1. Source reduction and recycling

• Waste that poses substantial danger immediately or over 2. Public attitude and legislation
a period of time to human, plant or animal life 3. Geographic and physical factors
• It exhibits: toxicity, ignitability, corrosiveness and
reactivity, or infectious

PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE

• Aesthetic problems (eyesore and bad color)

• Clogging of sewers, drains and rivers
• Breeding place of insects and rodents
• Surface and groundwater pollution
• Contributes to air pollution

SOLID WASTE COMPOSITION (METRO MANILA)

• Paper and cardboard – 22.37%

• Food and kitchen waste – 19.5%
• Textile – 7.41%
• Rubber and leader – 1.85%
• Plastics – 12.38%
• Yard waste – 21.47%
• Other combustibles – 6.82%
• Metal - 1.93%
• Glass – 1.54%
• Screenings <12mm – 4.66%
• Hazardous – 0.41%

EARLIS
 EXCRETA TRANSMITTED DISEASES

TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE BY FECES/EXCRETA HOOKWORM INFECTION

• Causative agent
o Human hookworms
▪ Necator americanus (new world hookworm)
▪ Ancylostoma duodenale (old world hookworm)

o Animal hookworms
▪ Ancyclostoma braziliense (cat hookworm)
▪ Ancyclostoma caninum (dog hookworm)

• Transmission
o Direct contact with contaminated soil (filariform larvae)
o Multiplies In intestine

ENTEROBIASIS / OXYURIASIS • Clinical presentation

o Itching and localized rash (ground itch)
• Causative agent o Iron deficiency anemia
o Enterobius vermicularis o Heavy infection
o Aka “seat worm”, “pin worm”, or “societal worm” ▪ Abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite,
weight loss, fatigue, and anemia
• Transmission
o Inhalation or ingestion of the infective eggs (fecal-oral
route)
o Female hosts go down on the intestine and lay eggs on
the peri-anal region

• Clinical presentation
o Pruritus ani
o Extra-intestinal • cute rawr rawr
o vagina, uterus, fallopian tube and peritoneal cavity
o can cause inflammation to these areas
STRONGYLOIDIASIS
o Abdominal cavity
o Retro-infection and superinfection are common • Causative agent
o As long as cause of infection is not stopped, it will go o Strongyloides stercoralis
back o Aka “thread worm”

• Transmission
o Direct skin penetration of the infective larvae (filariform
larvae)

• Clinical presentation
o Larva currens
•

HYMENOLEPIASIS

• Causative agents
o Hymenolepis nana (dwarf tapeworm) ▪
o Hymenolepis diminuta (rat tapeworm)
o Peptic ulcer disease and “cochin china diarrhea”
o Stomach ache, bloating, and heartburn
• Transmission
o Ingestion of infective egg or larva (cysticerci) o Dry cough and through irritation

• Clinical presentation
o Often asymptomatic
o Heavy H. nana infections can cause weakness,
headaches, anorexia, abdominal pain and diarrhea

EARLIS
 EXCRETA TRANSMITTED DISEASES

TAENIASIS

• Causative agents
o Taenia solium (pork tapeworm)
o Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm)

• Transmission
o Acquired from eating improperly cooked pork or beef
(ingesting the infective larvae – cysticercus)

• Clinical presentation
o Mild abdominal symptoms and passage of proglottids in
stool
o Occasionally,
▪ appendicitis, neurocysticercosis (taenia
solium)

• proglottids

TRICHINOSIS / TRICHINELLOSIS

• Causative agents
o Trichinella spiralis

• Transmission
o Ingestion of improperly cooked pork or bear meat

• Clinical presentation
o Intestinal lesions (adult worm infection)
o Acute interstitial inflammation of parasitized muscle fiber
(larva)

EARLIS
 WATER RELATED DISEASES

WATER-BORNE DISEASE WATER-RELATED INSECT-VECTOR DISEASESSS

• Disease caused by ingestion of water contaminated by human • water-related diseases are caused by insect vectors, especially
or animal faeces or urine, which contain pathogenic mosquitoes that breed or feed near contaminated water
microorganism • these diseases are not directly related to drinking-water quality
• Examples • however, consideration of vector control can reduce the potential
o Cholera for water related disease transmission
▪ vibreo cholerae
• the most common vector insects are mosquitoes and flies
o Typhoid
▪ salmonella typhi 1. mosquito-borne diseases
• malaria (plasmodium parasite)
o Amebic and bacillary dysentery • yellow fever (virus)
▪ entamoeba histolica and shigella spp. • dengue fever (virus)
• filariasis (worm)
o Diarrheal diseases
▪ escherichia coli 2. fly-borne disease
• onchocerciasis (river blindness)
WATER-WASHED DISEASES • caused by filarial worm
• onchocerca volvulus
• diseases caused by poor hygiene and skin and eye contact
with contaminated water • trypanosomiasis (west african sleeping sickness)
• examples: • caused by a parasite
o trachoma • trypanosoma bruce
▪ chlamydia trachomatis (skin and eye
infection) • leishmaniasis
• kala-azar
o tinea (ring worm)
▪ tinea corporis (skin, scalp, nails) • loiasis
• caused by parasitic worm Loa Loa

WATER-BASED DISEASES

• diseases caused by parasites found in intermediate

organisms living in contaminated water
• examples:
o schistosomiasis / Katayama fever
▪ schistosoma spp (blood fluke / flatworms)

o dracunculiasis / guinea worm disease

▪ dracunculus medinensis

o fascioliasis
▪ fasciola hepatica

o diphyllobothriasis
▪ duiphyllobotrium latum

EARLIS