The document discusses the relationship between environmental health and human well-being, defining key terms and concepts while emphasizing the impact of environmental factors on health. It outlines various hazards—biological, chemical, physical, and sociological—that threaten health, and highlights the interdependence between health and sustainable resources. Additionally, it addresses the significant consequences of environmental degradation, including increased mortality and morbidity, and the urgent need for steps to mitigate these risks.

1. Introduction to Environmental Health
Dr. Sahar Salem Al-Ammari

2. Objectives
• Define fundamental terms.
• Explain the basic relationship between the
environment and health.
• Explain impact of environmental factors on
health.

3. Definition: Health
• ‘Is a state of complete physical, mental
and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity’(WHO,
1948)
• ‘Health is only possible where resources
are available to meet human needs and
where the living and working environment
is protected from life-threatening and
health threatening pollutants, pathogens
and physical hazards’(WHO, 1992)

4. Definition: ‘Environment
’
• [All] that which is external to individual
human host. [It] can be divided into
physical, biological, social cultural any
or all of which can influence health
status in populations.’ (WHO, 1995).
• “Environment,” in this context, means
things in the natural environment like
air, water and soil, and also all the
physical, chemical, biological and social
features of our surroundings.

5. Definition: ‘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’ (WHO, 1993).

6. Environmental Health
• The man-made, or “built,”
environment includes physical
structures where people live and
work such as homes, offices, schools,
farms and factories, as well as
community systems such as roads
and transportation systems, land use
practices and waste management.
Consequences of human alteration to
the natural environment, such as air

7. Definition: ‘Health Effect
’…
• ‘…is the specific damage to health
that an environmental hazard can
cause an individual person. Often
the same hazard can cause a range
of different effects of different
severity.’

8. DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH:
Heredity
Health and family welfare
services
Environment
Life-style
Socio-economic conditions

9. Interdependence
• Health depends on resources.
• Good health depends on accessibility to
sustainable resources.
• Bad health results from inaccessibility to
sustainable resources or exposure to a
hazard.
• Sustainable resources and hazards exist in
the environment.

10. Interdependence
• Therefore, quality of health depends on the
environment.
• Implies all the external factors
• – living and non-living, material and non-
material which surround man
• Three components
• – Physical: water, air, soil, housing, wastes,
radiation.
• – Biologic: plant and animal life including
bacteria, viruses, and insects.

11. Interdependence
• The key to man's health lies largely in his
environment.
• In fact, much of man's ill-health can be traced to
adverse environmental factors such as water
pollution, soil pollution, air pollution, poor housing
conditions, presence of animal reservoirs and
insect vectors of diseases which pose a constant
threat to man's health.
• Often man is responsible for the pollution of his
environment through urbanization,
industrialization and other human activities

12. Environment affects
• The environment affects our health in a
variety of ways. The interaction between
human health and the environment has
been extensively studied and
environmental risks have been proven
to significantly impact human health,
either directly by exposing people to
harmful agents, or indirectly, by
disrupting life-sustaining ecosystems .
• An individual’s response to an

13. Environment affects
• The World Health Organization (WHO)
has estimated that thirteen million
deaths annually are attributable to
preventable environmental causes . The
report also estimates that 24% of the
global disease burden and 23% of all
deaths (premature mortality) are
attributable to environmental factors,
with the environmental burden of
diseases being 15 times higher in

14. Environmental Effects on Health
• Two degrees of adverse
environmental effects are:
- Injury with decreased longevity.
- Death
• Injury does not prematurely end
life, but can hinder the capacity to
function to the fullest potential
• Death does end life and is the most
extreme adverse state of health.

15. Environmental Effects on Health
• However, huge economic development
and population growth result in
continuing environmental degradation.
Intensification of agriculture,
industrialization and increasing energy
use are the most severe driving forces
of environmental health problems
• Climate change is also posing risks to
human population health and well-
being and thus is emerging as a serious

16. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Environment
(Physical, biological and psychosocial)
Human activities health
of individual

17. COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT:
PHYSICAL: air, water, soil, housing, climate,
geography, heat, light, noise, debris,
radiation, etc.
BIOLOGICAL: man, viruses, microbial
agents, insects, rodents, animals and
plants, etc.
PSYCHOSOCIAL: cultural values, customs,
beliefs, habits, attitudes, morals, religion,

18. Environmental hazards
• Environmental hazards may be :
• Biological,
• Chemical,
• Physical,
• Psychological,
• Sociological, or
• Site and location hazards.

19. Biological hazards
These are living organisms or their products
that are harmful to humans.
A. Water-borne diseases are diseases that
are transmitted in drinking water.
Examples are polio virus, hepatitis A virus,
Salmonella, cholera, amoebic dysentery,
and Giardia.
These disease organisms are shed into the
water in feces, and can produce illness in
those who consume untreated,
contaminated water.

20. B. Food-borne diseases
are diseases transmitted in or on food
Examples of food-borne agents are the
bacteria Salmonella,, Escherichia coli , as
well as other agents.
C. Vector-borne diseases
are those transmitted by insects or other
arthropods
Examples are encephalitis transmitted by
mosquitoes and and typhus transmitted
by fleas.

21. Chemical hazards
result from mismanagement or misuse of
chemicals resulting in an unacceptable risk
to human health
A. Pesticides are chemicals that have
been manufactured for the purpose of
reducing populations of undesirable
organisms.
Examples of categories of pesticides are
herbicides and insecticides.
The wise use of pesticides can protect
human health and agricultural crops.

22. B. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)
is an environmental hazard produced by
millions that smoke
Diseases associated with ETS include lung
cancer and perhaps
heart disease.
Smoking has been increasingly restricted
from public buildings and from many
private work sites.
Regulation of smoking seems to be the best
approach to controlling this pollutant.

23. C. Lead
is a naturally occurring element that is used
in the manufacturing of many industrial and
domestic products
1. Health problems associated with the over
exposure to lead are anemia, birth defects,
bone damage, neurological damage,
kidney damage, and others.
2. Exposure is by ingestion and inhalation.
3. Children are particularly at risk from eating
peeling lead paint.
4. Occupational exposure is a major source of
lead intake for adults.

24. Physical hazards
include airborne particles, humidity, equipment
design and radiation.
A. Radon contamination results from over
exposure to radon gas.
Radon gas arises naturally from the earth and
sometimes occurs at dangerous levels in
buildings and homes.
Epidemiological studies have shown a clear link
between breathing high concentrations of radon
and incidence of lung cancer . According to the
United States Environmental Protection Agency

25. are environmental factors that produce
psychological changes expressed as stress,
depression, hysteria.
Psychological hazards
Sociological hazards
are those that result from living in a
society where one experiences noise, lack
of privacy and overcrowding.
A Population growth may be a
sociological hazard.

26. Site and Location Hazards
A. Natural disasters are geographical and
meteorological events of such magnitude and
proximity to communities that they produce
significant damage and injuries.
1. Examples are cyclones, earthquakes, floods,
hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions.
2. The magnitude of devastation of these events
can sometimes be great.
3. Biological, psychological and sociological
hazards may increase following a natural
disaster.

27. •
Each of us must take steps to
protect our Earth's climate
.