Environmental health and disaster management

ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH AND
DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
PRESENTED BY
AKUMBOM EURICE N. (BSN, MPH, PHD CAND.)
1

Definitions
Environment
The circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is
surrounded
Public Health Definition of “The Environment”
All that which is external to the individual host. [It] can be
divided into physical, biological, social, and cultural factors,
any or all of which can influence health status in populations.
2

Definitions
Disease
Trouble or a condition of the living animal or plant body or
one of its parts that impairs the performance of a vital
function.
Safe
 Free from harm or risk
 Secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss
 Zero risk
3

Definitions
Disease
Trouble or a condition of the living animal or plant body or one of its
parts that impairs the performance of a vital function.
Safe
 Free from harm or risk
 Secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss
 Zero risk
Risk
Possibility of loss or injury
4

Definitions
What Is Environmental Health Sciences?
“The study of those factors in the environment that
affect human health”
 Factors (“pollutants "or “toxicants”) in air, water,
soil, or food.
 Transferred to humans by inhalation, ingestion, or
absorption.
 Production of adverse health effects.
5

Definitions
Contributors to the “Environment”
i. Chemicals
 Air pollutants, toxic wastes, pesticides, Volatile organic compounds (As
ingredients in paints, varnishes, cosmetics, fuel etc,)
ii. Biologic
 Disease organisms present in food and water
 Insect and animal allergens
iii. Physical
 Noise, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation
6

Definitions
Contributors to the “Environment”
iv. Socioeconomic
 Access to safe and sufficient health care
7

Definitions
W.H.O. 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
8

Components of the environment
 Physical: air, water, soil, housing, climate, geography,
heat, light, noise, debris, radiation etc.
 Biological: man, virus, microbial agents, insects, rodents,
animals, and plants etc.
 Psychosocial: cultural values, customs, beliefs, habits,
attitudes, religion, education, lifestyles, community life,
health services, social and political organizations.
9

Role of the Nurse in environmental
health
 Assessing and communicating risks of environmental
hazards to individuals, families and communities.
 Educating patients, families and communities about
environmental health and how to address key
environmental health issues.
 Showing leadership in personal practices that support
and reduce harm to the environment.
 Advocating for policies that protect health by
preventing exposure to those hazards and promoting
sustainability
10

Role of the Nurse in environmental
health
 Producing nursing science, including
interdisciplinary research, related to environmental
health issues
 Promoting the development of natural and built
environments that support health.
NB: Understanding and applying environmental
health principles should be a part of every nurse’s
practice.
11

Environmental Hazards
What is a hazard?
A hazard is a situation, activity or substance that has the
potential to cause harm, injury or illness to a person or to the
environment.
Major types of hazards
Environmental hazards may be biological, chemical, and
physical.
12

Major types of hazards
Biological hazards: These are living organisms and their products that
are harmful to humans. Examples; Polio virus, Cholera bacteria,
Salmonella bacteria, fungi, amoeba etc.
Chemical hazards: results from mismanagement or misuse of
chemicals resulting in an unacceptable risk to human health.
Examples: pesticides (herbicides, insecticides), environmental
tobacco smoke (ETS), Lead, arsenic etc.
Physical hazards: A factor within the environment that can harm the
body without necessarily touching it. Examples; Vibrations, noise,
radiation, fire, chemical reactions, explosions etc.
13

Environmental Pollution
Definitions
 Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the
natural environment that cause adverse change.
 The presence in or introduction into the
environment of a substance which has harmful or
poisonous effects.
 Pollution can take the form of chemical substances
or energy, such as noise, heat or light.
14

Definitions
A pollutant:
 It is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil.
 A substance or energy introduce into the environment that
has undesired effect.
Types of pollutants
Biodegradable pollutants: pollutants which can be broken
down into simpler, harmless, substances in nature in due course
of time (by the action of micro-organisms like certain bacteria)
e.g. Domestic wastes (garbage), urine, faecal matter, sewage,
agriculture residues, paper, wood, cloth, cattle dung, animal
bones, leather, wool etc.
15

Types of pollutants
Non-biodegradable pollutants: Pollutants which cannot
be broken down into simpler, harmless substances in
nature e.g. DDT, plastics, polythene, bags, insecticides,
pesticides, mercury, lead, arsenic, metal articles like
aluminum cans, synthetic fibres, glass objects, iron
products and silver foils, radioactive wastes etc.
16

Major types of pollution
 Air
 Water
 Soil
 Noise
17

Air pollution
Definition: Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air
that are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole.
 Far the most harmful form of pollution in our environment.
 The pollutants for air pollution are divided into two categories;
 The first type of pollutants known as primary pollutants are those
which are produced from a certain process like the smoke emitted
from the vehicles.
18

Air pollution
 The second type of pollutants are termed as the secondary
pollutants and these are the ones which are generated due to the
reaction of primary pollutants with natural air e.g. Smog, and soot.
Six common pollutants
i. Ground-level ozone
ii. Lead
iii. Sulfur dioxide
iv. Carbon dioxide
v. Nitrogen dioxide
vi. Particulate matter
19

Air pollution
Sources:
 Transport: Cars, trucks, and bikes etc.
 Industries
 Household and other products
 Volcanoes
20

Effects of air pollution
 Smog and soot: can irritate the eyes and throat and also damage the lungs. Cause RTI,
and heart attacks.
 Benzene found in gasoline can cause eye, skin, and lung irritation in the short term and
blood disorders in the long term.
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are toxic components of traffic exhaust and
wildfire smoke. In large amounts, they have been linked to eye and lung irritation, blood
and liver issues, and even cancer.
 Sulfur oxides: very dangerous to humans at high concentration. Sulfur in the atmosphere is
responsible for acid rain.
22

Effects of air pollution
 Pollen and mold: Mold exposure can precipitate asthma
attacks or an allergic response, and some molds can even
produce toxins that would be dangerous for anyone to
inhale. Pollen allergies can cause runny noses, fevers, itchy
eyes, and other symptoms.
 Green house gases: By trapping the earth’s heat in the
atmosphere, greenhouse gases lead to warmer
temperatures and all the hallmarks of climate change: rising
sea levels, more extreme weather, heat-related deaths, and
increasing transmission of infectious diseases like Lyme.
23

Prevention
 Planting trees
 Reducing vehicle exhausts; use bicycles or walk
when necessary
 Using clean energy: batteries, solar energy, wind
energy etc.
 Using mass transportation
 Conserve energy
 Regulations
24

Water pollution
Definition: alteration in physical, chemical, or
biological characteristics of water through
natural or human activities and making it
unsuitable for its designated use.
Toxic substances from farms, towns, and
factories readily dissolve into and mix with
water, causing water pollution.
25

Fresh Water present on the earth surface is put to many
uses. It is used for drinking, domestic and municipal uses,
agricultural, irrigation, industries, navigation, recreation.
The used water becomes contaminated and is called
waste water.
Sources of water pollution
Most of Water Pollution is man made It may also occur
naturally by addition of soil particles through erosion
animal wastes and leaching of minerals from rocks,
natural disasters (floods, tornados, tsunami’s etc.)
26

Point source pollution
If the pollution comes from a single source, such as
an oil spill, it is called point-source pollution.
Nonpoint-source
If the pollution comes from many sources, it is called
nonpoint-source pollution.
27

The sources of water pollution can be classified as
 Municipal Waste Water
 Industrial Waste
 Inorganic Pollutants
 Organic Pollutants
 Agricultural Wastes
 Marine Pollution
 Thermal pollution
29

Industrial waste
The major source of water pollution is the waste water discharged from
industries and commercial bodies, these industries are chemical,
metallurgical, food processing industries, textile, paper industries. They
discharge several organic and inorganic pollutants. That prove highly toxic
to living beings.
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW): more commonly known as trash or
garbage—consists of everyday items we use and then throw away, such as
product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps,
newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. This comes from our homes,
schools, hospitals, and businesses.
31

Agricultural waste
 Chemical fertilizers and pesticides have become
essential for present day high yielding crops.
 Consequently , they have become a potential source
of water pollution.
 These fertilizers contain major plants nutrients mainly
nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
 Excess fertilizers may reach the ground water by
leaching or may be mixed with surface water of rivers,
lakes and ponds by runoff and drainage.
32

Marine pollution
Ocean are the final sink of all natural and
manmade pollutants. Rivers discharge their
pollutants into the sea. The sewage and garbage of
costal cities are also dumped into the sea. The other
sources include, discharge of oils, grease,
detergents, and radioactive wastes from ships.
33

Thermal pollution
 Thermal Pollution of water is caused by the rise in
temperature of water. The main source of thermal
pollution are the thermal and nuclear power plants.
 The power generating plants use water as coolants
and release hot water into the original source.
Sudden rise in temperature kills fish and other aquatic
animals.
35

Health effects
 Domestic and hospital sewage contain many undesirable pathogenic
microorganisms, and its disposal into a water without proper treatment may
cause outbreak of serious diseases, such as, amoebiasis dysentery, typhoid,
cholera, etc.
 Arsenic polluted water leads to accumulation of arsenic in the body parts
like blood, nails and hairs causing skin lesions, rough skin, dry and thickening
of skin and ultimately skin cancer.
 Lead causes lead poisoning (Lead interferes with a variety of body
processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues). The compounds of lead
cause anaemia, headache, loss of muscle power and bluish line around
the gum.
36

Effects of water pollution in the environment
 Micro-organisms involved in biodegradation of organic matter in sewage
waste consume lot of oxygen, and make water oxygen deficient killing
fish and other aquatic creatures.
 Presence of large amounts of nutrients in water results in algal bloom
[excessive growth of planktonic (free-floating) algae. This leads to ageing
of lakes.
 Polluted water reduces Dissolved Oxygen (DO) content, thereby,
eliminates sensitive organisms like plankton, molluscs and fish etc.
37

Control of water pollution
 All domestic and municipal effluents be drained to water bodies only
after treatment
 Use of pesticides in agriculture should be limited. Only standard quality
pesticides Should be used.
 Radio active substances can be removed by Ion-exchange method.
 Plants, trees and forests control pollution and they act as natural air
conditions.
 Bacteria are killed by passing chlorine gas into water bodies
 Inorganic wastes can be treated chemically.
 Acids and bases are removed by neutralization
39

Land pollution
Definition: is the demolition of Earth's land
surfaces often caused by human activities
and their misuse of land resources. It occurs
when waste is not disposed properly.
Urbanization and industrialization are major
causes of land pollution.
40

Four Main causes of land pollution:
 Construction
 Agriculture
 Domestic waste
 Industrial Waste
41

Construction: Due to urbanization, large amount of
construction activities are taking place which has
resulted in large waste articles like wood, metal,
bricks, plastic that can be seen by naked eyes
outside any building or office which is under
construction.
Agriculture: As there are more and more people
inhabiting the earth, food is in higher demand and
so forests are chopped down and turned into
farmland. In addition, herbicides, pesticides,
artificial fertilizers, animal manure are washed into
the soil and pollute it.
42

Domestic waste: Tons of domestic waste is dumped every day.
Some waste from homes, offices and industries can be recycled
or burnt in incinerators . There is still a lot of garbage, such as
refrigerators and washing machines that are dumped in landfills
simply because they cannot be reused in anyway, nor recycled .
Industrial waste: Due to increase in demand for food, shelter and
house, more goods are produced. This resulted in creation of
more waste that needs to be disposed of. Plastics factories,
chemical plants, oil refineries, nuclear waste disposal activity,
large animal farms, coal-fired power plants, metals production
factories and other heavy industry all contribute to land pollution.
43

Effects of land pollution
 Loss of fertile land for agriculture, forest cover, fodder
patches for grazing etc.
 Trees and plants help balance the atmosphere, without
them we are subjected to various concerns like Global
warming, the green house effect, irregular rainfall and
flash floods among other imbalances.
 The land when contaminated with toxic chemicals and
pesticides lead to problem of skin cancer and human
respiratory system.
45

 The city looses its attraction as tourist destination as landfills
do not look good when you move around the city.
 Effect on wildlife: pollution leads to loss of habitat and
natural environment, forcing these species to move further
away and adapt to new regions or die trying to adjust.
 Landfills across the city keep on growing due to increase in
waste and are later burned which leads to air pollution. They
become home for rodents, mice etc which in turn transmit
diseases.
46

Solutions for land pollution
 Make people aware about the concept of Reduce,
Recycle and Reuse.
 Reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural
activities.
 Avoid buying packages items as they will lead to garbage
and end up in landfill site.
 Ensure that you do not litter on the ground and do proper
disposal of garbage.
 Buy biodegradable products.
 Do Organic gardening and eat organic food that will be
grown without the use of pesticides.
 Create dumping ground away from residential areas.
47

Disaster
Etymology
Originated from Greek: dus = bad aster = star
Calamity due to position of a planet or a star.
Then evolved in Italian as disastro,
To become French désastre (de.zastʁ). &
then disaster .
48

Disaster
Definition of a disaster
Any occurrence that causes damage, ecological
disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of health
and health services on a scale, sufficient to warrant an
extraordinary response from outside the affected
community or area.(WHO)
A disaster can be defined as an occurrence either
nature or man made that causes human suffering and
creates human needs that victim cannot alleviate
without assistance. (American Red Cross)
49

Disaster
 Hazard - Any phenomenon that has the potential to
cause disruption or damage to people and their
environment.
 “A hazard is natural event while the disaster is its
consequence. A hazard is perceived natural event
which threatens both life and property…… A disaster is a
realization of this hazard.” -John Whittow
 When hazard involves elements of risks, vulnerabilities
and capacities, they can turn into disasters.
50

Disaster
Vulnerability: The propensity of things to be damaged by a
hazard.
51

Disaster
Classification of disasters
i. Natural disasters: Meteorological, topographical, and
environmental
ii. Man made disasters: Technological, industrial, and
warfare.
Natural disasters
 Meteorological disasters: Floods, Tsunami, Cyclone,
Hurricane, Typhoon, Snow storm, Hail storm etc.
 Topographical disasters: Earthquake, Volcanic
Eruptions, Landslides and Avalanches, Asteroids etc.
53

Disaster
Man made disasters
 Technological: Transport failure, Public place
failure, Fire.
 Industrial: Chemical spills, Radioactive spills.
 Warfare: War, Terrorism, Internal conflicts,
Civil unrest.
54

Disaster
Disaster management
Definition:
 An applied science which seeks, by systemic
observation and analysis of disasters, to
improve measures relating to prevention,
emergency response, recovery and mitigation.
 Encompasses all aspects of planning for, and
responding to disasters, including both pre and
post disaster activities.
56

Disaster
Why disaster management?
 Prevention of danger or threat of any disaster.
 Reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or
consequences.
 Capacity-building.
 Preparedness to deal with any disaster.
 Prompt response to any threatening disaster situation
or disaster.
 Assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any
disaster.
57

Disaster
Phases of disaster management
i. Disaster preparedness: Activities prior to a disaster e.g. Preparedness plans,
Emergency exercises, Training, and Warning systems.
Medical preparedness:
 Developing and capacity building of medical team for trauma & psycho-
social care,
 Mass casualty management and Triage.
 Determine casualty handling capacity of all hospitals.
 Formulate appropriate treatment procedures.
 Involvement of private hospitals.
 Mark would be care centers that can function as a medical units.
58

Disaster
ii. Disaster response: Activities during a disaster.
Immediate reaction to disaster as the disaster is
anticipated, or soon after it begins in order to assess the
needs, reduce the suffering, limit the spread and
consequences of the disaster, open up the way to
rehabilitation.
By-
 Mass evacuation
 Search and rescue
 Emergency medical services
 Securing food and water
59

Disaster
iii. Disaster recovery: Activities following a disaster.
 Repatriation: after the emergency is over, displaced people
return to their place of origin.
 Rehabilitation (restoration of basic social functions): providing
temporary shelters, Stress debriefing for responders and
victims, Economic Rehabilitation, Psycho-social
Rehabilitation, Scientific Damage Assessment.
 Elements of recovery: Community recovery (including
psychological), infrastructure recovery (services and lifelines),
economy recovery, environment recovery.
61

Disaster
iv. Disaster mitigation: activities that reduce the effects of disaster.
Permanent reduction of risk of a disaster, to limit impact on human suffering
and economic assets.
Primary mitigation - reducing hazard & vulnerability.
Secondary mitigation- reducing effects of hazard.
Components:
Reducing hazard - protection against threat by removing the cause of
threat.
Reducing vulnerability - reducing the effect of threat
Natural hazards are inevitable, reduce vulnerability.
63

Disaster
Public Health Impacts of Disasters
Population Movements : Introduction of new disease or vector
in settlements - diarrheal diseases , measles, viral hepatitis,
whooping cough, malaria etc.
Interruption in Public Health Services : Disruption of curative
and preventive services; Interrupted vector control - malaria,
dengue. Interrupted immunization (measles, whooping
cough, and diphtheria etc. )
Altered Individual Resistance to diseases : Malnutrition
increases susceptibility to diseases .
64

Disaster
Damage to public Utilities : Water supplies &
sewage disposal disrupted.
Sexual violence: Rape, exploitation & sexual
violence
Human right violations: Torture of civilian,
physical and psychological harms, sex
trafficking, child labour, denial of basic needs.
65

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