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Environmental Health - Coggle Diagram
Environmental Health
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Key Definitions
Environment: All external conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding and affecting growth/development of an organism or community.
Environmental health (WHO): Aspects of human health and disease determined by environmental factors; concerned with assessing, controlling, and improving impact of people on environment and environment on health.
Environmental sanitation/hygiene: Activities aimed at improving/maintaining basic environmental conditions affecting well-being.
Environmental hazards: Factors/conditions (radiation, chemicals, pollutants) that increase risk of injury, disease, or death.
Pollution: Introduction by man of substances/energy into environment causing harm to living resources or human health.
Air Pollution
Natural: Fires, winds, volcanic eruptions (usually dispersed before harmful levels).
Man-made: Industrialized/urbanized areas, motor vehicles, industries.
Indoor air pollution: Major concern in rural areas (3.5 billion people rely on biomass fuels: firewood, charcoal, cow dung). Indoor levels can be 2-5x higher than outdoor, sometimes 100x higher.
Indoor sources: Smoking, asbestos, combustion of biomass fuels, organic dust, formaldehyde (cleaning products), aerosol deodorants (CFCs), air conditioning.
Acid rain: Sulfur oxide + nitrogen oxides + water vapor + oxygen + sunlight = sulfuric/nitric acids → kills aquatic plants, fish, trees.
Common Air Pollutants:
Pollutant
Carbon monoxide (CO)
Lead
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Sulfur oxide
Combustion of coal, fuel, natural gas
Irritates eyes/throat/respiratory tract; bronchitis, emphysema, asthma; contributes to acid rain
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Nitrogen oxides
Vehicle exhausts, factories
Irritates eyes, throat, upper respiratory tract
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Sources
Car exhausts, improperly vented furnaces
Contaminated soil, airborne particles, lead pipes, gasoline
Cognitive disturbance, learning/behavior problems, anemia, mental retardation in children, nervous system damage
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Health Effects
Dizziness, headache, drowsiness, unconsciousness, death (replaces O2 in blood)
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Solid Waste Pollution
Includes: Household garbage, rubbish, paper, contaminated materials, surplus food, humus.
Problems: Breeding of flies/insects, spread of infection, soil and visual pollution, fire hazards, social problems.
Control methods: Sanitary landfill, composting, incineration, recycling, controlled dumping.
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