Professional Documents
Culture Documents
018 Environmental Health
018 Environmental Health
NO2
Air pollution has decreased
since 1970
Air pollution has decreased since
1970
Reasons for the decline in U.S. pollution
• Cleaner
burning
fuels
• Scrubbers
• Phase out
lead gas
How would you rate these products?
Toxicity Rating
Highly Toxic
Moderately Toxic
Slightly Toxic
Not Toxic
Toxicity Rating
Highly Toxic
Moderately Toxic
Slightly Toxic
Not Toxic
10
Common Hazardous Waste Products
• Bug spray • Ammunition
• Floor care products • Dry cleaning solvents
• Furniture polish • Lighter fluid
• Metal polish with solvent • Mercury batteries
• Swimming pool acid • Moth-balls
• Glue (solvent based) • Old fire alarms
• Paint, oil based • Photographic chemicals (unmixed)
• Paint, auto • Antifreeze
• Paint, model • Automatic transmission fluid
• Paint thinner • Battery acid (or batteries)
• Fertilizer • Brake fluid
• Fungicide • Car wax with solvent
• Herbicide (weed killer) • Diesel fuel
• Insecticide • Gasoline
• Rat poison • Kerosene
• Artists’ paints, mediums • Motor oil
Kapaa Quarry
Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative
Must supply 70% clean energy by 2030.
• 40% from renewable
• 30% from efficiency
Landfill gas
(Kapaa) Waste to energy
Harmful Natural Chemicals
ciguatera
HAB
Harmful Natural Chemicals
VOG
Cultural environmental hazards
• Cultural (lifestyle) hazards: result from the place
we live, our socioeconomic status, our occupation,
our behavioral choices
– Smoking, drug use, diet and nutrition, crime, mode of
transportation
Tobacco
2015
Hawaii Obesity Stats
Obesity (2016)
• 23.8%
(4th lowest)
Dengue fever
2015-2016 Leptospirosis
264 confirmed cases 50-100 case/yr
Environmental health hazards
exist indoors
• Radon: a highly toxic, colorless, Not a problem in Hawaii
undetectable radioactive gas
– Builds up in basements
– Can cause lung cancer
• Lead poisoning: from lead pipes, paint
– Damages organs, learning problems,
problem in Hawaii
behavior abnormalities, death (<1978)
• Asbestos: insulates against heat, cold,
sounds, and fire
– Asbestosis: scarred lungs don’t function
– Also causes a type of lung cancer
Asbestos removal can
Renovation issues also be dangerous
Endocrine Disruptors
Lake Apopka alligators
• In 1985, alligators had bizarre reproductive problems
– Non-viable eggs, depressed or elevated hormone levels
• The lake had high levels of agricultural chemicals and
fertilizers that were disrupting the endocrine systems of
alligators during development in the egg.
Evidence for hormone disruption
• Frogs also have gonadal abnormalities.
– Male frogs exposed to very low levels of atrazine
became feminized.
– Levels were below EPA standards for human health.
Tyrone Hayes
U.C. Berkley
Point and non-point source water pollution
• PCBs
• DDT
Bioaccumulation biomagnification
Common pesticides
Toxicants can accumulate and biomagnify
Biomagnification
Toxic Metals
• Mercury (Hg)
• Copper (Cu)
• Lead (Pb)
• Cadmium (Cd)
Heavy Metals
Minamata Disease (1953-1960)– Japan
• Industrial pollution from plastic plant; dumped
mercuric chloride into bay
Lead (Pb):
• Leaded gasoline invented 1920’s
• Enters water from automobile exhaust,
runoff and atmospheric fallout of industrial
waste and landfills, mines, dumps
• Leaded gas banned in US in 1980’s has
reduced pollution in ocean
Bioaccumulation biomagnification
Inquiry