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Environmental_Health_Intro_Class FAITH.pptx
- 1. Introduction to Environmental Health PublicHealth Program 3-Hour Introductory Class
- 2. What is Environment? •Abiotic: air, water, soil, climate • Biotic: plants, animals, microbes • Socio-cultural: values, customs, education, health services
- 3. Environment & PublicHealth • Epidemiological Triad: Host, Agent, Environment • Example: Malaria (Agent: Plasmodium, Vector: Mosquito, Host: Human, Environment: stagnant water)
- 4. Definitions of Health& Environmental Health • Health: complete physical, mental, social well- being (WHO, 1948) • Environmental Health: human health aspects determined by environment (WHO, 1993)
- 5. Environmental Contributors • Physical:air, climate, noise, housing • Biological: microbes, insects, rodents • Chemical: pollutants, pesticides • Socioeconomic: poverty, culture, lifestyle
- 6. Healthy Environment Indicators •Clean air • Safe water • Nutritious food • Safe housing • Stable climate
- 7. Scope of EnvironmentalHealth • Water supply & sanitation • Waste management • Vector control • Food hygiene • Air quality • Occupational health
- 8. Case Study: Cholera •Agent: Vibrio cholerae • Environment: contaminated water • Host: humans
- 9. Levels of EcologicalOrganization • Individual → Population → Community → Ecosystem → Biosphere
- 10. Ecosystems • Interaction ofbiotic and abiotic components • Natural (forest, river) vs. Man-made (farms, fishponds)
- 11. Energy Flow &Food Chains • Producers → Consumers → Decomposers • Food webs show interconnections
- 12. Evolutionary Trend ofSelection • Natural selection = survival of fittest traits • Examples: antibiotic resistance, insecticide resistance, viral mutations
- 13. Succession & Climax •Primary succession: bare rock to forest • Secondary succession: after disturbance • Climax community: stable ecosystem
- 14. Population Dynamics • Exponentialvs. logistic growth • Carrying capacity = maximum supportable population
- 15. Biochemical Cycles • Carbon:climate change, respiratory illness • Nitrogen: fertilizer → water pollution • Water: droughts, floods → health risks • Phosphorus: eutrophication
- 16. Ecological Genetics • Geneticvariation in populations • Examples: sickle cell, drug-resistant TB, insecticide resistance
- 17. Reproduction & Health •Human: overpopulation → stress on environment • Microbes: rapid disease spread • Vectors: mosquito reproduction increases malaria
- 18. Environmental Hazards • Biological:pathogens • Chemical: pollutants • Physical: radiation, noise • Social: poverty
- 19. Case Studies ofHazards • Air pollution → asthma, heart disease • Unsafe water → cholera, typhoid • Zoonotic diseases → rabies, avian flu
- 20. Principles of EnvironmentalHealth • Prevention > cure • Equity in access • Collaboration • Sustainability
- 21. Role of PublicHealth Agencies • Monitoring • Education • Regulation • Emergency response
- 22. Environmental Health &SDGs • SDG 3: Good health • SDG 6: Clean water & sanitation • SDG 13: Climate action
- 23. Tools for Practice •Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) • Risk assessments • Environmental laws & policies
- 24. Global & LocalChallenges • Climate change • Urban air pollution • Waste management • Deforestation
- 25. Group Activity • Designa community intervention (safe water, waste management, mosquito control)
- 26. Recap & Conclusion •Environment and health are inseparable • Ecosystems, genetics, and cycles influence disease trends • Prevention and sustainability are key
Editor's Notes
- #2 Environment includes all external factors—living, non-living, and cultural—that affect organisms. It’s not just nature but also social and cultural aspects.
- #3 Disease arises from interaction between host, agent, and environment. Example: Malaria requires parasites, mosquitoes, humans, and breeding water.
- #4 Health is more than absence of disease. Environmental health focuses on environmental factors that influence health and ways to prevent hazards.
- #5 These categories summarize the major environmental influences on human health.
- #6 A healthy environment provides the basics of survival and quality of life.
- #7 The scope covers all public health measures aimed at preventing environmental hazards.
- #8 Cholera outbreaks highlight how unsafe water leads to disease and how prevention depends on sanitation and hygiene.
- #9 These levels show the hierarchy in ecology. Changes at one level affect the others.
- #10 Ecosystems are self-sustaining units where organisms interact with the physical environment.
- #11 Energy enters through photosynthesis, flows through consumers, and is recycled by decomposers.
- #12 Natural selection explains how species adapt. In public health, this creates challenges like resistant pathogens.
- #13 Succession shows how ecosystems change. Climax communities represent stability unless disturbed.
- #14 Population growth affects health by creating resource stress, overcrowding, and sanitation issues.
- #15 Biogeochemical cycles link ecosystems to health. Human activities disrupt these cycles and create risks.
- #16 Genetics explains how populations adapt. Variation can help survival or create health risks.
- #17 Reproduction sustains populations but can create public health challenges when unchecked.
- #18 Hazards can be biological, chemical, physical, or social. They are the focus of environmental health interventions.
- #19 Case studies show the real-world effects of environmental hazards.
- #20 These principles guide environmental health policies and practices.
- #21 Agencies protect populations by monitoring risks, educating, enforcing laws, and responding to crises.
- #22 Environmental health links directly to global goals for sustainability and well-being.
- #23 Tools like EIA and risk assessment help manage hazards and prevent health problems.
- #24 Challenges affect all nations but require local solutions.
- #25 Engage students in applying knowledge to real-world environmental health problems.
- #26 Summarize main points and emphasize that healthy environments lead to healthy people.