Running Head: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 1 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 8 Environmental Health Student Name: Kusum Syangbo Instructor Name: Elizabeth Wachira Course no: HHPH- 382-01W Date: April 5, 2020 Texas A&M University, Commerce Abstract Environmental health is both a public health and social justice issue. This paper will describe how environmental health is both a public health and social injustice issue and some of the environmental injustices in the United States. It will also explain the functions of environmental health movements in the US. Finally, the paper will describe some of the intervention opportunities in curbing environmental injustices including health education, advocacy, policy, leadership opportunities, and community focus and give my future leadership role as far as environmental health is concerned. Keywords Environmental health, public health, social injustice, minority groups Section 1: Topic Description The topic that I chose is Environmental Health. This topic is a public health issue because the environment in which we live in shapes our health every moment of every day. Our health can be affected by what we eat, where we live, and how we interact with the world around us. That is where environmental health professionals, programs and policies, all come into play. Environmental health is a large field in public health because of the numerous ways exterior factors can impact how we live, grow and, even eat. These factors concern how we address our natural environment like sanitation and clean water, but they are also the consequences of our actions as human beings (Krometis et al, 2017). Environmental Health is also a social justice issue because all the conversations about protecting habitats, mitigating climate change and recycling are not just about saving and protecting the earth, they are more about the struggle for protecting and providing basic human rights to good health. Every human being is entitled to quality air, clean water, and sanitation (Marmot, 2017). Section 2: Social Injustice Two Environmental Social Injustices One major environmental social injustice is the disproportional placing of dangerous waste amenities in poor and largely ethnic and racial minority localities. Research shows that there are ethnic and racial discrepancies in the locations of dangerous waste across the United States. As a result of these injustices people living in such an environment have developed diseases like cancer. Another social injustice is the environmental influence on healthy eating, physical activity, and obesity in ethnic and racial minority communities with low income. The principal concern here is the deprivation amplification such that in locations where have little individual resources, the local amenities that help people to live healthily, are poorer than those in non-socially and non-impoverished deprived places. Research has shown that t.

1. Running Head: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 1
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 8
Environmental Health
Student Name: Kusum Syangbo
Instructor Name: Elizabeth Wachira
Course no: HHPH- 382-01W
Date: April 5, 2020
Texas A&M University, Commerce
Abstract
Environmental health is both a public health and social justice
issue. This paper will describe how environmental health is both
a public health and social injustice issue and some of the
environmental injustices in the United States. It will also
explain the functions of environmental health movements in the
US. Finally, the paper will describe some of the intervention
opportunities in curbing environmental injustices including
health education, advocacy, policy, leadership opportunities,
and community focus and give my future leadership role as far
as environmental health is concerned.
Keywords
Environmental health, public health, social injustice, minority
groups
Section 1: Topic
Description
The topic that I chose is Environmental Health. This topic is a

2. public health issue because the environment in which we live in
shapes our health every moment of every day. Our health can be
affected by what we eat, where we live, and how we interact
with the world around us. That is where environmental health
professionals, programs and policies, all come into play.
Environmental health is a large field in public health because of
the numerous ways exterior factors can impact how we live,
grow and, even eat. These factors concern how we address our
natural environment like sanitation and clean water, but they are
also the consequences of our actions as human beings (Krometis
et al, 2017).
Environmental Health is also a social justice issue because all
the conversations about protecting habitats, mitigating climate
change and recycling are not just about saving and protecting
the earth, they are more about the struggle for protecting and
providing basic human rights to good health. Every human
being is entitled to quality air, clean water, and sanitation
(Marmot, 2017).
Section 2: Social Injustice
Two Environmental Social Injustices
One major environmental social injustice is the disproportional
placing of dangerous waste amenities in poor and largely ethnic
and racial minority localities. Research shows that there are
ethnic and racial discrepancies in the locations of dangerous
waste across the United States. As a result of these injustices
people living in such an environment have developed diseases
like cancer.
Another social injustice is the environmental influence on
healthy eating, physical activity, and obesity in ethnic and
racial minority communities with low income. The principal
concern here is the deprivation amplification such that in
locations where have little individual resources, the local
amenities that help people to live healthily, are poorer than
those in non-socially and non-impoverished deprived places.
Research has shown that there are major discrepancies in
accessing facilities that support physical activity, with poor,

3. ethnic and racial minority communities being disadvantaged
(Bullard, 2018).
Two examples of Environmental Social Justice Movements
The environmental justice movement: This group was formed
when communities of Native American, Latin, Black,
immigrants groups, and low-income realized that they were
disproportionately affected by mental and physical health risks
resulting from environmental factors. Several of these
communities were relocated close to shipyards, ports, and waste
treatment facilities, which can expose people to dangerous air
toxins and pollutants, decaying animal parts, fossil fuel
combustibles, and hazardous waste. Lack of access to clean
drinking water and fresh produce and overcrowding are other
factors can intensify the spread of diseases in these
communities (Purdy, 2017).
The Environmental Equity Working Group which was
formed in 1990: The government through this group addresses
environmental injustices in populations with low incomes and
minority groups in the US. The government has been working
with affected groups since that time by offering resources,
funding, and grants (Harris, 2017).
Section 3: Intervention Opportunities
1. Health Education
To resolve these environmental injustices, there is a need for a
network that can help the community as a whole. The network
needs enhancements in public and professional education.
Health professionals must learn more about the health
conditions that are caused by environmental factors. Medical
students should also be given adequate training in
environmental health.
To combat mortality and morbidity, the community should also
be made aware of the environmental risks to its health. The
community should be trained in basic environmental health
issues, resources, and concepts. The community’s role in
identifying environment-related problems should be increased.
The community should be involved in research programs for

4. these problems (Lee, 2017).
2. Advocacy
Advocacy is all about bringing change by influencing policies,
systems, structures, and people. It is about communicating with
the people in power and persuading them to act in more
equitable and just and equitable. At the local level, advocacy
can involve influencing the decision-makers in the factory by
showing them the effects of pollution and requesting them to
stop polluting the environment. At the national level, advocacy
can involve asking for changes to the regulations related to
pollution by industries. Because climate change is a global
problem, governments around the world need to work together
to find a solution.
3. Policy
There is a need to fund additional research which will help in
making better-informed decisions and policies on environmental
health. Environmental protection Agencies need to come up
with policies, programs, and initiatives of addressing adverse
environmental effects on ethnic and racial minorities and
populations with low income. There is also a need to involve all
people irrespective of their ethnicity, race, nationality,
education level, and income in developing, implementing, and
enforcing environmental policies, regulations, and laws (Lee,
2017).
4. Leadership Opportunities
The mainstream environmental organizations should use their
privilege to effectively support grassroots and frontline
organizations by providing the required technical assistance
when necessary. This support can include training on water
testing or how to submit comments on environmental policies.
These organizations can also help in connecting communities
with funding and research opportunities that would help in
addressing environmental problems. When developing
proposals, programs, and comments, mainstream organizations
should consider the feedback and input from the people who are
affected by environmental injustices. Finally, these

5. organizations should create more just distributions of funds to
improve the strategies for promoting social justice (Sandhaus,
2018).
Section 4: My Leadership Role in the Future Regarding
Environmental Health
I am intending to work in a mainstream environmental
organization so that I will be able to push for the environmental
health policies that will protect the minority groups and people
with low incomes who are majorly affected by environmental
health injustices. I want to be in the front line of advocating for
a change of policies, regulations, and laws on environmental
health. My dream is to see every resident of America being able
to access the basic right of good health by ensuring that they
live in a safe environment where their health is no longer at
risk.
I will achieve this by working in partnership with government
agencies, community members, academic institutions, and other
stakeholders to address health challenges related to the
environment; improving understanding of health issues related
to the environment at the community level; offering culturally
suitable and accessible opportunities for minority groups and
people with low income and ensure that they take part in our
decision-making process; and enhancing the methods used to
identify, address, track, and measure progress towards attaining
environmental justice.
Section 5: Community Focus
Community groups can collaborate with non-profit
organizations, government agencies, academic institutions, and
other stakeholders to address environmental-related health
issues. As a leader of a community group, I can help my
community group by helping the members of my community to
understand the environmental challenges the community is
facing and how these challenges can affect their health. I can
also come up with training programs for helping the members to
deal with these challenges. Most importantly, I can help my
community group by making sure that the community takes part

6. in decision-making processes by ensuring that I relay the
concerns of my community to the right channels of decision-
making and policy-making process.
Conclusion
It is no doubt that the environment shapes the way we live and
eat and this affects our health in some way. There have been
environmental social injustices over the years but the good news
is that through health education, advocacy, policymaking, good
leadership, and community focus, these injustices can be
eradicated.
References
Bullard, R. D. (2018). Dumping in Dixie: Race, class, and
environmental quality. Routledge.
Harris, P. G. (2017). International equity and global
environmental politics: power and principles in US foreign
policy. Routledge.
Krometis, L. A., Gohlke, J., Kolivras, K., Satterwhite, E.,
Marmagas, S. W., & Marr, L. C. (2017). Environmental health
disparities in the central Appalachian region of the United
States. Reviews on environmental health, 32(3), 253-266.

7. Lee, L. M. (2017). A bridge back to the future: public health
ethics, bioethics, and environmental ethics. The American
Journal of Bioethics, 17(9), 5-12.
Marmot, M. (2017). Social justice, epidemiology and health
inequalities. European journal of epidemiology, 32(7), 537-546.
Purdy, J. (2017). The Long Environmental Justice
Movement. Ecology LQ, 44, 809.
Sandhaus, S., Ramírez-Andreotta, M. D., Kilungo, A., Wolf, A.
M., Sandoval, F., & Henriquez, P. (2018). Combating climate
injustices: An informal science and popular education approach
to addressing environmental health disparities. Pedagogy in
Health Promotion, 4(4), 260-269.
· You are now 30 years old, married and your significant other
tells makes you promise you will only work until you are 60
years old. Your employer gives you a contract work $150,000 a
year for 30 years. The employer give you two choices in
retirement. 1. They will give you 2.5% a year for each year of
employment times you salary level the time of retirement. 2,
the employee will match your contribution of retirement and let
it grow for 30 years in an guaranteed stock fund at 6% interest.
In either case your contribution to the retirement fund is 6.5%
of your salary.
· How much of YOUR money will you have in your retirement
at age 60
· How much will your retirement be worth at the age of 60
· If your plan is to live 25 years after retirement how much will
you be able to get in retirement for each year under each plan
· Which plan is better
· You must show all your work in this calculation.