A power point presentation on the relationship between environment and human health through diseases, epidemics, pandemics, and environmental disasters

1. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Ailments, Diseases, Disorders, Injuries
caused by the environment
Prof. S. Shafiq-ur Rehman (PhD)
Former Faculty
Department of Environmental Sciences
University of Peshawar, Pakistan

2. Preamble
• A healthy life is crucially important for all humans
to remain fully physically & and mentally fit,
functional, active, and productive.
• Any internal or external threat to human health
and life must be protected from all types of
accidents, ailments, injuries, and diseases.
• Upholding high standards of hygiene/cleanliness
at personal and public levels is the responsibility
of every individual, the collective responsibility of
the community, and the official responsibility of
the service providers.
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3. Healthy Environment
• Air: Ambient air free of smoke, dust, soot, pollen, O3,
CO2, CO, and other harmful gases
• Water: Clean and safe drinking water free from organic
& and inorganic pollutants/toxins/pathogens
• Soil: Nutrient-rich, uncontaminated and arable
• Vegetational Cover: Good cover of trees andplants
• Food: Safe, healthy, nutritious, reachable
• Settlements: Safe and strong
• Solid/liquid waste: Safe/hygienic collection/disposal
• Noise level: Below 85 decibels
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4. Environmental Health (WHO)
• Environmental health concerns itself with the human
health issues caused by physical, chemical, biological,
and socio-cultural elements of the environment.
• Also refers to the theory/practice of assessing,
correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors of
the environment that can adversely affect the health of
present and future generations.
• Epidemiology is a branch of medical sciences that
studies the causes, distribution, and control of diseases
or health disorders among a group of people or
communities, hence forms the basis of public health.
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5. Public Health
• Public health is the science & art of protecting
public safety, prevention of disease and injury,
and improving community health through
education, policy making and research
• Exposure of community to unhygienic environs,
polluted air, unsafe drinking water, contaminated
soils and edibles, toxic/hazardous wastes, contact
with viruses, bacteria, certain plants and animals,
extreme heat & cold, can influence health status
in populations that need to be responded to
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6. WHAT DO PUBLIC HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS DO?
• Monitor the health status of a community to identify potential problems
• Diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards in the community
• Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues, particularly
the under-served and those at risk
• Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems
• Develop policies & plans to support individual/community health efforts
• Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
• Link people to needed personal health services and ensure the provision
of health care when otherwise unavailable
• Ensure a competent public health and personal health care workforce
• Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and
population-based health services
• Research new insights and innovative solutions to health problems
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7. International Classification of Diseases
• The World Health Organization maintains a
standard list of all diseases, injuries, and other
causes of death as the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD) - since 1948.
• The list has been updated through various
revisions in 1955, 1965, 1975, 1990, and 2019.
• The latest list, effective from 2021, comprises
at least 20 major classes of diseases and their
etiology.
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8. International Classes of Diseases (1)
• Hematological Diseases – Blood-related issues
• Cancer & Neoplasm – abnormal benign or malignant
growth of tissue
• Cardiovascular – related to heart and blood vessels
• Congenital disorders – impaired body parts by birth
• Ear
• Eye
• Infections
• Inflammatory and immune system
• Injuries and accidents
• Mental and behavioral disorders
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9. International Classes of Diseases (2)
• Metabolic and endocrine - diabetes
• Musculoskeletal – muscles and bones
• Neurological – brain and spinal cord
• Oral & gastrointestinal – stomach and intestines
• Renal and urological – kidneys & urinary system
• Reproductive health and childbirth
• Respiratory – nose, throat, chest and lungs
• Skin
• Stroke - paralysis
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10. Environmental Health Science
• The study of those factors in the environment
that affect human health
• Factors (“pollutants" or “toxicants”) in air,
water, soil, food, plants or animals
• Transferred to humans by inhalation,
ingestion, or absorption
• Resulting in death or adverse health effects on
individuals or communities
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11. Environmental Contributors
• Physical:
– Air, water, soil, rocks, housing, weather, geography, heat, light,
noise, debris, etc.
– Air pollutants, smoke, toxic gases, toxic effluents, pesticides etc.
• Biological:
– Viruses, bacteria/other microbes, insects, rodents, animals and
plants
– Disease-producing agents, reservoir of infection, intermediate
host, and affected persons
• Social/Psychosocial/Socioeconomic:
– Culture, values, customs, habits, morals, religions, education,
lifestyle, community life, health services, social and political
organizations
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12. Scope of Environmental Health
• Ensuring safe and secure drinking-water supply from source to end-user
• Regular monitoring of ground/surface water quality in terms of health standards
• Efficient management of wastewater through secondary and tertiary treatment
processes for reuse
• Efficient maintenance of sanitation infrastructure
• Efficient solid waste collection, transportation, segregation and disposal.
Management of waste disposal sites
• Vector control
• Prevention and control of land pollution and contamination
• Oversight on food hygiene and safety
• Monitoring ambient air quality for particulate matter (2.5 & 10 µ), smoke, dust,
and other pollutants and their effective management
• Environmental radiation hazards
• Occupational health and safety
• Environmental noise management
• Accommodation establishments
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13. Water and Health
• Safe drinking water refers to water free from infectious
microorganisms (virus, bacterium, protozoan, fungus)
& harmful minerals/chemicals (Fluoride, Arsenic,
Chlorine, pesticides, & PCBs etc.)
• Pleasant taste, free from color, turbidity and odor
• Domestic uses: Drinking, cooking, freezing, washing,
cooling and other industrial purpose
• Other uses include irrigation, hydropower production
• For drinking purpose: 2 liter/person/day
• Domestic purpose: 150-200 liter/person/day
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14. Sources and Quality of Water
• Sources of water
– Meteoric water received as rain, snowmelt, hail,
sleet, glacial melt water, due
– Surface water i.e. rivers, streams, lakes, pond
– Groundwater obtained through dug wells, tube
wells, natural springs, fountains
• Source of water pollution
– Sewage, industrial & commercial effluents,
pesticides, chemical manures, radioactivity,
organic, inorganic and dissolved pollutants
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15. Health issues of contaminated water
• Acute and chronic toxic effects of chemicals
• Diseases associated with inadequate use of water
• Dental health problem: 1 g fluoride/l of water is
beneficial for dental health, higher quantity cause
dental fluorosis, arthritis, bone damage, fatigue
• Vector borne disease: Zika virus, Chikungunya
virus, Malaria, Dengue
• Calcium rich water cardiovascular disease:
Hardness of water has beneficial effect on
hardness of water.
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16. Invisible living Sources of Diseases
• Viral: Hepatitis A & E, Poliomyelitis, Rotavirus
Diarrhea, SARS, Corona virus, Dengue fever
• Bacterial: Cholera, Bacillary Dysentery, Typhoid,
Salmonella, Shigella, and E.coli infections
• Protozoal: Amoebiasis, Giardiasis, Leishmaniasis
• Helminthic: Roundworm, Thread worm, Hydiatid
disease
• Snail: Schistosomiasis
• Cyclops: Guinea worm, Fish tape worm
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17. Zoonotic Diseases
• Anthrax – humans, livestock, horses
• Avian para-myxo virus - pigeons
• Bird flu – Birds
• Foot and mouth disease – cattle, sheep, pig, dogs
• Rabies – Animals, humans
• Swine fever - pigs
• Tuberculosis – cattle
• Tetanus – Animals, humans
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18. Diseases spread by Mosquitoes
• Malaria
• West Nile virus
• Zika virus
• Dengue
• Yellow fever
• Chikungunya
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20. Sources of air pollution
• Transport sector
– Nox, SO2, CO2, CO, VOC, Pb, NO2, Black smoke
• Industries and waste disposal
– SO2, N2O, NH3, CO2, CO, CH4, HF, HCl, H2S, O3
• Domestic sector
– CO2, CO, SO2, Nox, CH4, VOC, Smoke, dust, soot
• Power Generation
– SO2, CO2, NOx, N2O, CO, CH4
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21. Health Effects of Air Pollutants
• CO: CO poisoning, depleted oxygen supply to heart
brain and other vital organs, headache, fatigue,
dizziness , drowsiness, nausea
• CO2: headache, dizziness, difficulty in breathing,
sweating, tiredness, increase heart rate, blood
pressure, coma, asphyxia, convulsions
• SO2: very toxic if inhaled, severe irritation of nose,
skin and eyes, blindness, pulmonary edema,
tightness in chest, asthma, inflame respiratory
system
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22. Continued..
• PB: problems in pregnancy, harm to fetus, fertility
issues, hypertension, digestive disorders, nerve
disorders, memory loss, muscle and joint pain
• Cd: affects cardiovascular and reproductive system,
kidneys, eyes and brain
• H2S: small exposure can cause irritation to eyes,
nose or throat, increase difficulty for asthmatics
• O3: can damage lungs, chest pain, coughing, throat
irritation, hard breathing, worsen asthmatics
• PM: premature death of persons with heart & lung
diseases, heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, aggravated
asthma, difficulty in breathing, coughing
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23. How much air and pollutants we
inhale per day
• An average adult resting person inhales 7-8 l of
air per min or almost 11.5 m3 or 14.2 kg per day.
• Among other air pollutants particulate matter is a
mixture of tiny solid particles(dust, smoke, soot,
salt, soil, mineral, pollens) and water droplets
• In order to assess the air quality of a city PM2.5
and PM10 are measured in routine. The WHO air
quality guidelines recommends annual average
concentration of PM2.5 must not exceed 5µg/m3
and 15µg/m3 forPM10.
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24. Health Effects of Polluted Air
• Actual risk f adverse effects depends on the
current health status, type and concentration
of pollutant, and length of exposure.
• High air pollution levels can cause immediate
health problems e.g.
– Aggravated cardiovascular & respiratory illness
– Stress heart and lungs that must function
– Damaged cells in the respiratory system
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25. Air pollution is a killer
• Long-term exposure to polluted air can have
permanent health effects such as:
– Accelerated aging of the lungs
– Loss of lung capacity and decreased lung function
– Development of diseases such as asthma,
bronchitis, emphysema, and possibly cancer
– Shortened life span
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26. Most susceptible persons to ill effects
of air pollution
• Individuals with heart disease, coronary artery
disease or congestive heart failure
• Individuals with lung diseases such as asthma,
emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD)
• Pregnant women
• Outdoor workers
• Older adults and the elderly
• Children under age 14
• Athletes who exercise vigorously outdoors
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27. Prevention and Control of Air
Pollution
• Containment
– Preventing atmospheric release of toxic substances by enclosure,
ventilation and air cleaning
• Replacement
– Substitution of fossil fuels and firewood by alternate wind, solar and
hydel power
• Dilution
– Greenbelts, urban plantation
• Legislation
– Implementation/monitoring of environmental laws/regulations
• International Action
– International monitoring through ground and space stations
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28. Common Environmental Diseases (1)
• Dermatitis – inflamed or irritated skin
• Emphysema – damage of lung tissues
• Goiter – growth of thyroid glands
• Heart diseases – fat deposits in blood vessels
• Immune deficiency disease – AIDS
• Lead poisoning
• Mercury poisoning
• Uranium poisoning
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29. Common Environmental Diseases (2)
• Kidney diseases
• Nervous system disorders – brain, spinal cord
• Osteoporosis – bone disease
• Pneumoconiosis – lung disease
• Sunburn and skin cancer –
• Dental decay
• Vision problems
• Xeroderma pigmentosum – sensitive skin
• Waterborne diseases
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30. Example: Viral Conjunctivitis
• One example of a highly contagious eye
disease is pink eye – where the virus reaches
the eye through a hand contaminated by the
virus. Viral Conjunctivitis or eye infection
causes swelling and discharge from the eye(s).
One or both eyes may be involved. The virus
spreads through airborne transmission,
physical contact, infected tears, respiratory
discharge, and fecal matter.
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31. Example: Typhus & Amebiasis
• Another example of a communicable infectious
disease contracted from the environment is
Typhus, caused by two types of bacteria rickettsia
or orientia carried by mites, fleas, or lice. The
disease is curable through antibiotics but during
nearly two weeks of illness, the patient goes
through fever, cough, vomiting, aches, rash, etc.
• Amebiasis is a disease caused by the parasite
Entamoeba histolytica. It can affect anyone but is
more common in people who live in tropical
areas with poor sanitary conditions.
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32. Other Examples of Extrinsic Diseases
• Extrinsic Allergic Alveolitis (EAA) is commonly an
occupation-related disease where small air sacs in the
lungs are inflamed among farmers, metal workers,
miners, etc., by inhaling microbes, fumes, or particles.
• Melanoma – a serious type of skin cancer caused by
prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight.
• Pneumoconiosis (dusty lungs) includes asbestosis,
silicosis, CWP, or black lungs among miners and
handlers of asbestos, silica, and coal, respectively.
• Histoplasmosis - an infection caused by the fungus
Histoplasma by inhaling its spores present in the soil.
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33. Other Examples of Extrinsic Diseases
• Lead poisoning - caused by chronic exposure to Lead
through inhalation or ingestion from air, water, soil, food,
paints, and gasoline fumes. Its symptoms include brain and
nervous system, weakness, lack of appetite, behavioral and
learning problems, vomiting, stomach aches, constipation
etc.
• Carbon monoxide is an unstable gas that does not exist
naturally but is produced from the burning of wood, coal,
fossil fuels, or other carbon-containing substances.
Poisoning occurs when people inhale large volumes of the
gas in unventilated closed doors, wildfires, or oil fires. Its
symptoms include dizziness, headache, nausea, drowsiness,
chest pain, seizure, and death.
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34. Example: Minamata Disease
• Minamata Diseases is a classical example of Mercury
Poisoning that was reported from Minamata City, Kyushu
Island, Japan, in 1956. Locals of the city had consumed fish
and shellfish contaminated by the discharge of untreated
wastewater containing methyl mercury in coastal waters.
The central nervous systems of the affected were damaged
with symptoms like loss of muscle control of arms and legs,
hence lack of balance and trouble in walking, speech
control, and eye movements. Over a thousand patients
died of the disease. This incident soon led the world to set
new international limits on the discharge of industrial
pollutants the Minamata Convention was signed by 128
countries in January 2013 and enforced in August 2017.
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35. Example: Itai Itai (ouch ouch)
• Medically known as osteomalacia, a painful
health disorder with softening/fracturing of bone
in adults is commonly known as Itai Itai (meaning
it hurts in Japanese). Initially, the cases were
reported by locals of the Jinzu river basin of
Toyama, Japan as of 1912, epidemiologically
linked to chronic Cadmium poisoning by the
Japanese Ministry of Health in 1968. A total of 56
fatalities were attributed to the Itai Itai disease
with a majority of women over 50 years of age.
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36. Example: Yokkaichi Asthma
• Between 1960-69 over 600 patients in the Yokkaichi
area in central Japan reported various respiratory
diseases, including chronic bronchitis, allergic asthma
bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema, and sore throat.
Patients were inhabitants of Yokkaichi City,
neighboring Kusu Town, and Isuzu village at the mouth
of Suzuka River. The air of the Yokkaichi area was highly
contaminated with oxides of sulfur, vapors of sulfuric
acid and titanium oxide emitted from the regular
combustion of high sulfur oil by power and industrial
plants. From 1973 to 2022 a total of 716 (male and
female) deaths were reported, while 4,540 survived
the disease.
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37. Fatal Epidemics & Pandemics (1)
• Novel Coronavirus 2019-2023, 6.978 million deaths
• Monkeypox virus 2022
• Ebola outbreak, Congo, 2018-2020
• Zika virus outbreak, Brazil, 2015-2016
• Ebola virus, West Africa, 2014-2015, 11,000 deaths
• SARS, 2002-2003
• HIV- AIDS Pandemic 1981 , 36 million deaths
• Hong Kong Flu 1968 > 1 million deaths
• Asian Flu, 1956-1958, 2 million deaths
• Spanish Flu, 1918-1920, 50 million deaths
• 3rd Cholera Pandemic, 1852-1860, 1 million deaths
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38. Fatal Epidemics & Pandemics (2)
• Bubonic Plague (Black Death) –
an extremely dreadful, infectious and fatal zoonotic
disease spread by bacterium Yersinia pestis through
fleas on rats. It killed about 25 million people in
Europe in the 14th Century.
• Small Pox
caused by a highly contagious variola virus spread
through air resulted in 300-500 million deaths
during the 20th Century around the world. It has
been totally eradicated since 1976.
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39. Notable Environmental Disasters
• Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster: April 26, 1986,
Ukraine (USSR) causing 50 deaths from exposure to
nuclear radiations
• The Bhopal gas leakage disaster: Dec. 3, 1984, leakage
of methyl isocyanate gas from Union Carbide plant in
Madhya Pradesh, India, causing 22,000 deaths
• Great Smog of London, Dec. 5, 1952, caused 4000
fatalities within a week
• Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster occurred on Mar. 24,
1989, in Alaska USA. 11 million gallons of crude oil
spilled over 2000 km coast.
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HAPPY LEARNING
STAY SAFE AND WELL