COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND

ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH

 INTRODUCTION TO
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Dr Momodu Sesay:
 Introduction
Relationship between man and environment

• Constant interaction between man and environment

• Relationship is symbiotic ie environment supports survival of man

and man ensures the healthiness of the environment

• Environment can serve as a medium of disease transmission.

 WHO DEFINITION
• Environmental Health is the branch of public health that focuses on
the interrelationships between people and their environment,
promotes human health and well-being, and fosters healthy and safe
communities
• Environmental health addresses all the physical, chemical, and
biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors
impacting behaviours. It encompasses the assessment and control of
those environmental factors that can potentially affect health.
What constitutes a good environment?
• Clean air
• stable climate
• adequate water, sanitation and hygiene
• safe use of chemicals
• protection from radiation
• healthy and safe workplaces
• sound agricultural practices
• health-supportive cities and built environments
• a preserved nature are all prerequisites for good health.
 Environmental health concerns
• Air safety- smoke, dust, gases,fumes,dust etc
• Land safety –land degradation
• Water safety – availability and safety,preswervation
• Food safety
• Environmental protection
• Disease prevention and control
• Environmental surveillance
• Waste management(solid and liquid) –environmental pollution,
surface and underground pollution
• Disaster preparedness and response
Effect of human activities on the
environment
• Application of fertilizers
 improves soil fertility but can also damage natural life eg fish and
algae
• Use of land for housing,infrasturcture,agriculture,Mining etc
 damage to ecosystem and contribute to global warming
• Poor waste management system leading to contamination of
underground and surface water supply.
• Fossil fuel – burning of fire wood, coal, combustion of fuel causes
increase in carbon emissions
 Components of environmental health
Description Concerns
Personal hygiene Hygiene of the body and clothing
Water supply and Adequacy, safety (chemical, bacteriological, physical) of water
safety for domestic, drinking and recreational use

Human waste disposal Proper excreta disposal and liquid waste management

Solid waste Proper application of storage, collection, disposal of waste.

management Waste production and recycling

Control of mammals (such as rats) and arthropods (insects such

Vector control
as flies and other creatures such as mites) that transmit disease
 Components Contd…..
Description Concerns

Physiological needs, protection against disease and

Housing accidents, psychological and social comforts in
residential and recreational areas

Communal hygiene in schools, prisons, health facilities,

Institutional hygiene
refugee camps, detention homes and settlement areas

Occupational hygiene Hygiene and safety in the workplace

Food safety and wholesomeness in its production,
Food hygiene
storage, preparation, distribution and sale, until
consumption
 Environmental risk factors and associated health
problems
Environmental risk factors Related diseases and conditions

Contaminated water, lack of latrines, open defecation Diarrhoeal diseases, Typhoid fever,
poor hand washing, inappropriate solid waste schistosomiasis ,Soil Transmitted helminths (STH)
management,, vector infestation trachoma, relapsing fever

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower

Indoor air pollution
respiratory infections, lung cancer

Respiratory infections, cardiovascular diseases, lung

Outdoor/ambient air pollution
cancer

General environmental hazards (climate, mosquitoes, Diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition, malaria and other
nutrition) vector-borne diseases; heat exhaustion

Environmental hazards in workplaces (excess noise, Injuries, hearing loss, cancer, asthma, back pain,
heat, dust, chemicals) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Principles in solving environmental health
problems
1. Define the problem
2. Measure its magnitude
3. Understand key determinants
4. Develop intervention/ prevention strategies
5. Set policy/priorities
6. Implement action
7. Evaluate
Emerging issues in environmental health

• Climate change
• Global warming
• Emergency preparedness and response
 Climate change
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures
and weather patterns.
Reasons
• Increase in greenhouse gas emissions from burning of
fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-
trapping gases.
• Industrialization a contributory factor
 Greenhouse gases
• Water vapour,carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and
ozone present in the atmosphere
• These gases have the ability to absorb and emit thermal
infrared radiation creating warmth (warming effect of about
33 degrees C).
• Gases have the ability to prevent massive freezing of the
atmosphere
 Greenhouse effect

• Process by which thermal radiation from the planetary surface is

absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases which are re-radiated
towards the surface resulting in elevation of the average surface
temperature
 Global warming and Greenhouse gases
• Global warming is the increase in temperature of the lower
atmosphere and surfaces of the earth resulting from the increase in
greenhouse gases(carbon dioxide, Nitric oxide, methane, ozone and
water vapour)

• Clearing of forests,burining of bushes, charcoal production of fossil

fuel increases the quantity of greenhouses gases
increase the warming effect on the surface and atmosphere
global warming
Effects of Climate change
• Flooding of densely populated urban areas
• Droughts leading to famine
• Mass extinction of plants and animals
• Devastation of nations
• Land slides
• Fire disasters
• Increase in atmospheric temperature
 Possible Solutions to Global warming
• Alternative source of energy
• Reforestation programme
• Town planning
• Disaster preparedness and management
• Legislation