Environmental Health

Dr. Moneer Ali Abdallah

(MBBS, MPH, DRME ,PDHM , MD )
Outline

• Definition of health and environmental health.

• WHO scope of environmental health.
• Environmental health hazards and their transmission.
• WHO report on environmental risk factors and
diseases.
Definition of Health

• Health is a state of complete physical, mental and

social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity.
• The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard
of health is one of the fundamental rights of every
human being, without distinction of race, religion,
political belief, economic or social condition.
Based on the Constitution of WHO, 1948.
Definition of Environmental Health

Environmental health comprises those aspects

of human health, including quality of life, that are
determined by physical, biological, social and
psychosocial factors in the environment. It also
refers to the theory and practice of assessing,
correcting, controlling and preventing those
factors in the environment that can potentially
affect adversely the health of present and future
generations. (WHO, 1993).
Environment has been divided into three
components, all closely related:

 Physical: water, air, soil, wastes, radiation.

etc.
 Biologic: plant and animal life incluucting
bacteria, viruses, insects, rodents and
animal.
 Social: Customs, culture, habits, income,
occupation, religion.
Environmental Health Hazards

• Microbiological, chemical and physical contaminants in drinking water

and foods.
• Microbiological agents, particulates, gaseous pollutants and allergens
in indoor air of residential and work environments
• Vectorborne and zoonotic disease agents.
• Solid and liquid wastes, hazardous wastes and soil pollutants.
• Accidents due to natural disasters, transportation, recreational,
home and work environments.
• Noise, heat, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation from residential
and work environments.
Environment and Health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that:

• Globally, 24% of the global disease burden and 23% of all deaths
were attributable to environmental factors.
• In children (below 15 years old), environmental risk factors can
account for 36% of all deaths.
• Heading the list of diseases impacted by environmental risks are
diarrhoea (90%) lower respiratory infection (20-42%), unintentional
injuries (44%), malaria (42%), road traffic injuries (40%) and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (42%).
• Diarrhoeal diseases associated with a lack of access to safe
drinking water and inadequate sanitation result in nearly 1.7 million
deaths annually.
• Household use of biomass fuels and coal by over half of the world’s
population, results in 1.5 million deaths a year from pollution-
related respiratory diseases.
• Deaths from environmentally-mediated diseases is
much higher
in the developing (25%) than in the developed world
(17%).
• However, for certain non-communicable diseases such
as
cardiovascular diseases (7 times) and cancers (4
times), the
disease burden is higher in the developed countries.
•
• 4 million children worldwide die from environmentally-
caused deaths yearly, mostly in developing countries.

• Infant death rate from environmental causes is 12 times

higher in developing than in developed countries.

• In developing countries, diarrhoea, respiratory

infections and malaria alone account for 26% of all
deaths among children under 5 years old.
Source : WHO. 2006. Preventing diseases through healthy environments. Geneva : WHO Press.
The 7 Core Concepts in
environmental health

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 Toxic Words

Toxic means _____________________.

poisonous or dangerous

ology is the study of poisons.

Toxic_____

ity is a measure of how

Toxic___
dangerous a chemical is.

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 Exposure is

The total amount of a hazard that comes

in direct contact with your body.

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 The 3 parts of exposure

The The
The
Source Contact
Environmental
of the hazard (inhaled fumes)
Pathway
(bus exhaust)
(air)

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 Route #1: Inhalation
Inhalation:
Hazard!
Breathing. When
chemicals enter the
body through this
route of exposure,
they can get stuck in
the lungs and/or be
taken up into the
bloodstream.

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 Route #2: Ingestion
Ingestion:
Hazard!
Swallowing (usually
by eating or drinking).
When chemicals enter
the body through this
route of exposure,
they can easily be
taken up into the
bloodstream.

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 Route #3: Dermal Absorption
Hazard!

Dermal Absorption:
Absorbing a chemical through any part of the skin, including
the eyes. When chemicals come in contact with the skin, they
can sometimes enter the bloodstream through this route of
exposure.

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What is dose? X
Exposure X
X

X
X
X X Dose X
X X
X

X X

X = hazard

Dose is the amount of a hazard that

actually enters your body.

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 Dose can depend on…

Frequency of Body Size:

Duration of
Exposure: How big or small are
Exposure:
How often? you?
How long?

L
M

S S

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Individual Susceptibility

Why are these people

more likely to be
harmed by exposure to
a hazard than the man
below?

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Individual Susceptibility
Pregnant women and Elderly people whose
their developing defense mechanisms
babies are less efficient

Sick people who have Infants and children

weakened immune who are still
systems developing

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Genes & Susceptibility
Your genes can also make you
more or less susceptible to
harm from an environmental
hazard. For example, some
people are more likely to get
sick when they are exposed to
certain kinds of pesticides.

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 Risks & Benefits
What are the risks and benefits when grape
growers use pesticides on their crops?

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 Risks & Benefits

BENEFITS RISKS

•No bugs! •People ingest

•Better looking fruit
that is more visually
appealing
•Bigger crops so
farmers can make
more profit
pesticides with the
fruit and get sick
•Pesticides get into
dirt and water
•Animals ingest
pesticides and get sick

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What is environmental justice?

Environmental
Justice
(EJ) means that
everyone has a right
to live in an
environment that
doesn’t make them
sick, regardless of
their race, culture, or
income.

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Squatter area and river pollution
Thermal fogging of a Dengue case’s home by a MOH personnel.
Air pollution from a coal-fired power plant.
Illegal solid waste dumping near Chemor, Perak
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Any Questions

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