This document outlines the objectives and content covered in Chapter 14 of the textbook "An Invitation to Health: Building Your Future, Brief Edition, 9e" by Dianne Hales. The chapter objectives are to discuss various threats to health from the environment such as unintentional injuries, violence, pollution, and toxic chemicals. It also covers topics like road safety, sexual victimization, indoor and outdoor air pollution, water quality, and hearing loss. The document provides an overview of these health issues and environmental threats through multiple sections and subsections.

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An Invitation to Health: Building Your Future, Brief Edition, 9e
Dianne Hales
A Healthier Environment
14

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After reading this chapter, the student
should be able to:
• Discuss the threats of unintentional
injuries
• Outline the best practices for road safety
• Examine the statement that violence is a
significant public health problem
• Discuss the consequences of campus
violence on students
Objectives

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• Assess the impact of sexual victimization
and violence
• Discuss how our individual health depends
on the health of our environment
• Analyze the impact of pollutants on the
surrounding environment
• Enumerate the health threats posed by
polluted air
Objectives (cont’d.)

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• Explain the importance of safe drinking
water
• Explain the importance of breathing clean
air when indoors
• Review the ways that exposure to toxic
chemicals can be harmful
• Describe radiation’s health threats
• Enumerate the factors that lead to hearing
loss
Objectives (cont’d.)

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• Accidents kill more college-age men and
women than all other causes combined
• Most common types of injury
– Road traffic injuries
– Drowning
– Burns
– Falls
– Poisoning
Unintentional Injury

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• Factors in high accident rate among young
drivers
– Failure to scan the environment while driving
– Going too fast
– Being distracted by something inside or
outside the vehicle
• Distracted driving
– Causes nine deaths in the U.S. each day
Safety on the Road

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• Visual
– Taking eyes off the road
• Examples: reading a text or checking a navigation
device
• Manual
– Taking hands off the wheel
• Examples: texting, eating or drinking, and
changing music
• Cognitive
– Mind focused on something other than driving
Types of Distractions

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• Do not text or talk on the phone
• Stay sober and alert
• Use seat belts
• Check for air bags
• Rein in road rage
• Cycle safely
– Helmets protect against head injury
• Only 12 to 25 percent of college students wear
helmets
Guidelines for Safety on the Road

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• Violence can take many forms
• 13 young people die daily in the U.S. as a
result of violence
• Mass shootings
– Emerging national concern
– Shooters frequently share pattern of
psychosocial traits, including mental health
issues
Violence in America

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• Common types of violence on campus
– Assault, robbery, sexual assault, and rape
– More than half are committed by strangers
– Most crimes committed off-campus, and at
night
• Overall violent crime rate has dropped in
the past decade
Violence and Crime on Campus

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• Hazing
– May occur in fraternities or athletic teams
• Hate or bias crimes
– Can generate fear and intimidation in targeted
groups
• Shootings, murders, and assaults
– Uncommon
– Wide psychological effect on students
• Including other campuses
Types of Campus Violence

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• Any situation in which a person is deprived
of free choice and forced to comply with
sexual acts
• Influenced by social attitudes and beliefs
that demean a particular gender and
promote aggression
• Cyberbullying
– Aggressive, intentional act using electronic
forms of contact
Sexual Victimization and Violence

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• Examples of sexual harassment
– Sexual comments
– Unwanted touching
– Often targeted at sexual minorities (LGBTQ)
• Stalking
– Willful, repeated, and malicious following or
threatening a person
• Intimate partner violence
– Physical, sexual, or psychological
Types of Sexual Victimization

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• Planet Earth: a closed ecosystem
– Individuals’ actions influence the environment
• Climate change
– Rising water temperatures
• Global warming
– Increase in average Earth temperature
• Mosquito-borne illnesses will increase as
temperatures rise
From Personal to Planetary Threats:
The Environment and Your Health

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• Change in the air, water, or soil that
impacts its ability to support life
• Mutagen
– Environmental agent causing DNA changes
• Carcinogen
– Any substance that causes cancer
• Many health risks associated with
exposure to toxic substances
The Impact of Pollution

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• Health risks from dangerous levels of air
pollution
– Bronchitis, emphysema, atherosclerosis, and
more
• People at increased risk
– People with asthma
– People with heart problems
– The elderly
– People with high blood pressure
The Air You Breathe

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• Environmental Protection Agency
– Sets standards for more than 80
contaminants
• Bottled water versus tap water
– Medical research has found no advantage in
bottled water
– Higher incidence of tooth cavities among
bottled water drinkers than fluoridated tap
water drinkers
The Water You Drink

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• Materials that release pollutants
continuously
– Building materials
– Air fresheners
• Pollutants that remain in the air after use
– Tobacco smoke
– Cleaning products
– Pesticides
• Molds
Indoor Pollutants: The Inside Story

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• Toxic substances
– Benzene, asbestos, arsenic, and others
• Endocrine disrupters
– Chemicals that interfere with human
hormones
• Chemical weapons
– Possibility of use by terrorists
– Can kill rapidly
Chemical Risks

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• Electromagnetic fields
– Produced by household appliances
– Research indicates link between exposure to
high-voltage lines and blood cancer
• Cell phones
• Microwaves
– Concern about chemicals leaching from
heated plastic wrapping and plastic containers
• Ionizing radiation
Invisible Threats

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• Loudness measured in decibels (dB)
– Every 10 dB rise indicates a tenfold increase
in sound intensity
• Scale is nonlinear
• Sounds under 75 dB do not appear to be
harmful
• Prolonged exposure to sounds over 85 dB
or brief exposure to louder sounds can
harm hearing
Your Hearing Health

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