CHAPTER 16 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Awareness and Education Act)
The World Health Organization (2018) defines
environmental health as all physical,
chemical, and biological factors external to a
person, and all related behavior.
"As a fundamental component of a
comprehensive public health system,
environmental health works to advance
policies and programs to reduce chemical and
other environmental exposures in air, water,
soil, and food to protect residents and
provide communities with healthier
environments" (National Environmental
Health Association, 2016).
PURPOSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Experts believe that the purpose of
environmental health is to assure the
conditions of human health and provide
healthy environments for people to live,
work, and play.
A healthy environment improves quality of life
and increases years of healthy living.
Globally environmental risk factors, that
contribute to nearly 25% of all deaths and
increase disease burden (WHO,2018)
-air pollution
-water pollution
-soil pollution
-chemicals
-radiation
-climate changes
MAJOR LAWS REGULATING SANITATION IN
THE PHILIPPINES
Presidential Decree 856 (Sanitation Code of
the Philippines)
Presidential Decree 825 (Anti Littering Law)
Republic Act 9003 (Solid Waste Management
Act)
Republic Act 8749 (Clean Air Act)
Republic Act 9275 (Clean Water Act)
Republic Act 9512 (National Environmental
Executive Order 26 (Nationwide Smoking
Ban)
Republic Act 10611 (Food Safety Act)
Republic Act 11311 (Provision of Clean Toilets
in Public Transportation Terminals)
CONCEPT RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH
Environmental Sanitation
a. The promotion of hygiene
b. The prevention of disease and other
consequences of ill-health relating to
environmental factors
AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
1. The built environment consists of the
connections among people, communities, and
their surrounding environments that affect
health behaviors and habits, interpersonal
relationships, cultural values, and customs.
Social Capital refers to networks and the
associated norms and expected collective
benefits derived from cooperation between
individuals and groups.
Structural characteristics of the built
environment
-street condition
-neighborhood deterioration
-proportion of parks and playgrounds (affect
levels of physical activity and obesity)
Many people live within areas that require
almost daily contact with potential health
risks and threats. These include
-intoxicated drivers
-secondhand smoke
-urban crowding
-noise exposure
-unabated traffic
-stress of increased mechanization.
Urban sprawl has been defined as the
conversion of land to nonagricultural or
nonnatural uses.
4 dimensions of urban sprawl
1. low residential density
2. rigidly separated homes, shops, and
workplaces
3. roads with large blocks and poor access
4. lack of well-defined activity centers
Consequences of sprawl
-air and water pollution
-floods
-infrastructure expenses
-decrease in natural areas and forests
Environmental Health Problems
(Built Environment)
Drunk driving
Secondhand smoke
Noise exposure
Urban crowding
Technological hazards
2. Work-related exposures can happen as a
result of poor working conditions and can lead
to potential injury or illness.
Prevention of work-related health problems
require an integrated action to improve job
safety and working environment.
Environmental Health Problems
(Work-related exposures)
Asbestos exposure
Agricultural accidents
Excessive exposure to x-rays
3. Outdoor air quality refers to the purity of
the air and the presence of air pollution.
Air pollution is the 13th leading cause of
mortality worldwide.
Ozone is a common pollutant and is the
primary component of smog. Ozone is formed
when nitrogen oxides react with oxygen
sunlight.
Causes of Ozone
-asthma
-allergic reaction
-bronchitis
-lung cancer
-chronic respiratory disease
-death and harms to animals and plants
2 significant issues related to outdoor air
quality
1. The amount of protection in the
atmospheric layers is diminishing.
2. Disruption in the key process that
breakdown atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Environmental Health Problems
(Outdoor Air Quality)
Gaseous pollutants
Greenhouse effect
Destruction of the ozone layer
Aerial spraying of herbicides and pesticides
Acid rain
Nuclear facility emissions
4. Water Quality refers to the water supply
availability, volume, mineral content levels,
toxic chemical pollution, and pathogenic
microorganism level.
Water Pollution can be from
-Point Sources (factory wastewater discharge)
-Nonpoint Sources (urban runoff, domestic
lawn care, & air-to-water transfer)
Administrative Order 2017-0010 (Philippine
National Standards for Drinking Water)
It requires that the following must be checked
to determine whether water is safe for human
consumption:
Microbial quality- tested through parameters
of total coliform, fecal coliform, and
heterotrophic plate count.
Chemical and physical quality- tested through Environmental Health Problems
parameters of pH, chemical-specific levels, (Food Safety)
color, odor, turbidity, hardness, and total
Malnutrition
dissolved solids.
Bacterial food poisoning
Radiological quality- tested through Food adulteration
parameters of gross alpha activity, gross beta, Disruption of food chains by ecosystem
and radon. destruction
Carcinogenic chemical food additives
Regular testing of water supply (Schedule)
6. Waste Management entails the handling of
Level 1: every 3 months
waste materials resulting from industry,
Level 2: every other month
municipal processes, and human consumption
Level 3: frequent sampling for every 5,000
as well as efforts to minimize waste
population
production.
Levels of Water Supply in the Philippines
3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
Level 1 (Point Source)
Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste
Level 2 (Communal Faucet/Stand Post)
Management Act of 2000)
Level 3 (Waterworks/Water Districts)
This law classifies solid waste into the
Environmental Health Problems
following:
(Water Quality)
Municipal waste refers to all discarded
Contamination of drinking supply by human
nonhazardous household commercial and
waste
institutional waste, street sweepings, and
Oil spills in the world's waterways
construction debris.
Pesticide or herbicide infiltration of
groundwater Industrial waste refers to the refuse that arise
Aquifer contamination by industrial pollutants from production and from agricultural and
Heavy metal poisoning of fish mining industries. Aside from rubbish,
industrial wastes can be mixed with
5. Food Safety refers to availability,
contaminated soil, ashes, and hazardous
accessibility, and relative cost of healthy food
wastes.
free of contamination by harmful herbicides,
pesticides, and bacteria.

Food safety concerns Hazardous wastes are substances that pose

-malnutrition
-bacterial food poisoning
-carcinogenic chemical additives
-improper meat inspection or food labeling
-microbial epidemics among livestock
-food products from diseased animal
Republic Act 10611 (Food Safety Act of 2013)
-aims to strengthen the food safety regulatory
system in the country.
either an immediate or long-term substantial
danger to humans because of possessing any
of the following properties:
-toxic
-corrosive
-flammable
-reactive (can cause explosions)
-genotoxic (cytostatic drugs)
Health care waste (biomedical wastes)
refers to the refuse that is generated in the
diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of
human beings or animals together with those
related to the production or research of the
same (DOH, 2011). It is subdivided further as
follows:
"Infectious wastes" refer to those suspected
to contain bacterial, viral, parasitic, or fungal
pathogens in sufficient concentration so as to
cause a disease in susceptible hosts.
"Pathological wastes" refer to tissues, organs,
body parts, human fetuses, animal carcasses,
and blood and body fluids.
"Pharmaceutical wastes" include
pharmaceutical products such as drugs,
vaccines, and sera that are no longer required
and need to be disposed of appropriately for
any reason.
"Chemical wastes" include the varied states of
chemical matter from clinical or laboratory
activities, environmental work, housekeeping,
and disinfecting procedures.
Prohibited Acts on Solid Waste Management
Act of the Philippines
-Open burning of solid wastes
-Open dumping
-Burying in flood-prone areas
-Squatting in landfills
-Operation of landfills on any aquifer,
groundwater reservoir or watershed
-Construction of any establishment within 200
meters from a dump or landfill
Environmental Health Problems
(Waste Management)
Use of nonbiodegradable plastics
Poorly designed solid-waste dumps
Inadequate sewage systems
Transport and storage of hazardous waste
Illegal industrial dumping
Radioactive hazardous wastes

"Sharps" include biomedical wastes that could

cause cuts or puncture wounds. These
include, but are not limited to, needles,
broken glass, and scalpel blades.

"Radioactive wastes" include sealed radiation

sources typically used in cancer treatments,
liquid, and gaseous materials contaminated.

Color Coding for Healthcare Waste

• Black or colorless: Nonhazardous and

nonbiodegradable wastes
• Green: Nonhazardous biodegradable wastes
• Yellow with biohazard symbol: Pathological/
anatomical wastes.
• Yellow with black band: Pharmaceutical,
cytotoxic, or chemical wastes (labeled
separately)
• Yellow bag that can be autoclaved:
Infectious wastes
• Orange with radioactive symbol: Radioactive
wastes