22 - Environmental Health Hazard - Dr Attallah Rabi
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Transcript of 22 - Environmental Health Hazard - Dr Attallah Rabi
Environmental Health Hazards
What is environmental hazard?
'Environmental hazard' is a generic term for any situation or state of events which poses a threat to the surrounding environment. This term incorporates topics like pollution and natural hazards such as storms and earthquakes.
HAZARDS AND RISKS Hazard:Is “a factor or exposure that may adversely affect health” it
is a qualitative term expressing the potential of an environmental agent to harm the health of certain individuals if the exposure level is high enough and/or if other conditions apply.
RiskIs “the probability that an event will occur, the probability
of unfavorable outcome e.g that an individual will become ill or die within a stated period of time or age. It is the quantitative probability that a health effect will occur after an individual has been exposed to a specified amount of a hazard.
Contamination Contamination -- Introduction into
water, air, and soil of microorganisms, chemicals, toxic substances, wastes, or wastewater in a concentration that makes the medium unfit for its next intended use. Also applies to surfaces of objects, buildings, and various household and agricultural use products.
Pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants
into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energy, such as noise, heat, or light energy. Pollutants, the elements of pollution, can be foreign substances or energies, or naturally occurring; when naturally occurring, they are considered contaminants when they exceed natural levels. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution.
Pollutant
A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil. Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, the concentration and the persistence
Pollution & Contamination “Pollution" is generally used when you're talking about
something big, like a whole environment, or an entire river, or something else really large.
"Contamination" can refer to very small quantities of something -
contaminated food, medicine, drinking water supply; it can also mean a very small amount of foreign or
harmful material, such as bacterial contamination, or a toxin, especially when it's not readily visible or noticeable.
For instance, a surgical suite could be contaminated simply because someone walks into it when they're not sterile, and it would be completely invisible.
What are the environmental Health Hazards?
ANY external factor that negatively affects your health can be considered an environmental health “hazard." Common environmental health hazards include indoor and outdoor air pollution, and contaminated food and water. Less commonly discussed environmental health hazards include lack of sidewalks, crime, insufficient physical activity, poor nutrition, social isolation, noise, stress, and the lack of aesthetically pleasing living environments.
Types of EH Hazards
Traditional Hazards Disease Vectors Infectious agents Housing and Shelter Drinking Water &
Sanitation Indoor air Pollution Dietary Deficiencies Reproduction Injury hazards
Modern Hazards Tobacco smoking Alcohol and drugs Transport hazards Environmental
pollution Outdoor air pollution Chemical hazards Occupational Hazards Unbalanced Diet Stress
Routes of Entry of EH Hazards
Inhalation airborne contaminants
Absorption penetration through the skin
Ingestion eating
drinking
Types of Exposure to EH Hazards
Acute Short term period between exposure
and onset of symptoms
Chronic Long time period between exposure
to an agent and the onset of symptoms
Main Types of EH Hazards
There are five types of environmental hazards:
Chemical Physical Mechanical Biological Psychosocial
Chemical Hazards
Pesticides Acids and Bases Metal fumes Solvents Gases
Biological Hazards Insects Rodents Animals Microorganisms:
Bacteria Viruses Parasites Yeasts Molds
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Types of Physical Hazards Noise and Vibration Ionizing Radiation Non-ionizing Radiation Light, Lasers Pressure Extremes of Temperature
PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS
Uncertainty Anxiety Lack of feeling of control over one
own life Homesickness Isolation
What is stress? Stress is a human response to stressors Stress is a specific event or situation that
causes a mental or psychological reaction. Stress is a process resulting from the
interaction between humans and the environment.
Stress process consists of 2 stages: Deciding whether or not an event (stressor) poses
a hazard Appraising the possibilities of dealing with the
situation.
What are the Health Effects of Stress?
Cardiovascular diseases Hypertension Ischemic heart diseases Increase heart rate
Peptic ulcer Bronchial asthma
What kinds of environmental hazards should you be concerned about?
Air pollutants Indoor air pollutants Outdoor air pollutants
Water shortage and pollutants Food hazards Housing hazards Occupational Hazards Insect and Rodents’ Hazards Pesticides Global Environmental hazards
Air Pollutants and their Health Effects
Biological Chemical Physical
What is air pollution? Addition of harmful substances to the
atmosphere resulting in damage to the environment, human health and quality of life
Can occur indoor or outdoor, in cities and across continents and even globally
Air pollutants consist of: gaseous pollutants, odors, suspended particle matter (dust, fumes, mist and smoke)
In door air pollution Indoor air can be defined as
any non-industrial indoor space where a person spends a period of an hour or more in any day.
This can include the air space in the office, classroom, motor vehicle, shopping centre, hospital and home.
Common indoor air pollutants
second-hand tobacco smoke; airborne mold and mildew; lead-impregnated dust from old paint cockroach
shedding; dust mite particles; combustion gases released by stoves, heaters, candles
and fireplaces; chemicals released by dry cleaned clothes; cleaning products; room deodorizers; office supplies; paints and sealers; new furniture and pressed wood; personal care products; and pesticides.
Sources of Indoor Pollutants
Outdoor Air Pollutants Ozone (O3) Particulate Matter (PM) Carbon Monoxide (CO( Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Lead (Pb ( Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs ( Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs(
Sources of air pollution Transportation (Mobile sources )
Motor vehicles, rail, shipping, aviation.
Industry sources Power stations, petroleum refining,
chemical manufacturing. Power Plants Central heating Incineration of domestic wastes
Health Effects of Air Pollutants
Irritation of nose, eye, and throat Respiratory diseases (Bronchitis, Asthma, cough,
nausea …etc.) Cardiovascular diseases Toxicity (CO) Decrease of pulmonary function and restricted
activities) Cancers (Benzene) Neurological impairments, such as seizures,
mental retardation, and behavioral disorders (Pb). kidney/liver damage, CNS disorders (Arsenic,
cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, and chromium) Increased hospital admissions and ER visits. Premature death
Air pollution control Reduce emissions (conservation and
improved efficiency); e.g., refineries Collect, capture, and retain
pollutants before entering the atmosphere; e.g., gas stations
Regulating automobile exhaust using catalytic converter, control of sulfur dioxide through scrubbing
Varied pollutant-control strategies and new and improved technologies
Air pollution control Regulatory control
Standards (process and emission) Engineering control
Ventilation (general and local) Process change
Work practice control Administrative control Personnel protective equipment
WATER Health Hazards
What is Water Health Significance?
There are 4 billion cases of diarrhea worldwide each year and 2.2 million avoidable deaths-that's a death every 14 seconds.
Most diarrheal deaths occur in the Majority World and just being able to wash one's hands with soap and water can reduce diarrhea by 35%.
Insect-related diseases Malaria, is the biggest killer, causing 1-2 million deaths a year. At any given time 100 million people suffer from the disease.
Parasites Intestinal worms infect about 10% of the majority world population. About 200 million people are affected by schistosomiasis (bilharzia), with 200,000 dying each year.
After a peak in the late 1980s, guinea-worm infections have been declining as water sources are better monitored.
Water Health Significance
Every day, diarrheal diseases cause some 6,000 deaths, mostly among children under five: in 2001, 1.96 million people died from infectious diarrheas; 1.3 million were children under five.
Diarrheal diseases have killed more children in the past ten years than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II.
Between 1,085,000 and 2,187,000 deaths due to diarrheal diseases can be attributed to the 'water, sanitation and hygiene' risk factor, 90% of them among children under five.
With simple hygiene measures such as washing hands after using the toilet or before preparing food, most of these deaths are preventable.
Water Hazards and Health Effects
Biological Chemical physical
Water Hazardous Substances
Volatile organic compoundsHydrophobic organic compoundsEndocrine disruptorsPetroleum AdditivesPesticides
Heavy metalsOther inorganic elementsAcids/basesOxidants/reductantsChlorination by-productsCombustion by-products
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The main water-borne/fecal oral diseases are Typhoid fever Giardia Dysentery Cholera Diarrhea (caused by a variety of
pathogens) Hepatitis Polio Worms
PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS
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PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS
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Water associated Diseases
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Disease Rates and Risk
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Water Pollution Control
Pollution prevention Minimize pollution
recycling and re-use; treatment; encourage cleaner production technologies; encourage good housekeeping
Disinfection (Chlorination) Disposal or discharge of waste water
only under specified conditions; precautionary approach; differentiated approach; polluter pays
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Food Hazards
Biological Chemical Physical
Types of Food Hazards?
Biological: bacteria, viruses, parasites
Chemical: heavy metals, natural toxins, sanitizers, pesticides, antibiotics
Physical: bone, rocks, metal
Biological Hazards in Food
Biological = Living Organisms In Meat and Poultry: Salmonella bacteria (poultry and eggs) Trichinella spiralis parasite (pork) On Fruits and Vegetables: E. coli bacteria (apple juice) Cyclospora parasite (raspberries) Hepatitis A virus (strawberries)
Biological Hazards in Food
Biological Hazards in Food
How can you prevent Biological Hazard to Foods?
Prevention of microbes growing Holding at low temperatures (<40oF) Cooling from 140o-40oF quickly
Cooking helps to kill microbes >165oF(73o C) for poultry and eggs >155oF (68o C) for ground beef >160oF (71o C) for pork
Chemical Hazards in Food
Chemical hazard: a toxic substance that is produced naturally added intentionally or un-intentionally
Naturally-occurring: Natural toxins (aflatoxins, marine toxins)
Added intentionally: Antibiotics, preservatives
Added non-intentionally: Cleaning agents, Pesticide Residues
Chemical Hazards in Food
Physical Hazards in Food
Physical hazard: a hard foreign object that can cause illness or injury
Inherent to the food or ingredient Bone fragment, feathers
Contaminant during processing Stones, rocks, dirt, fingernails
What are the Food Risk Factors?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified five risk factors for foodborne illness: Food from unapproved and unsafe
source Improper holding time and temperature Poor personal hygiene Improper cooking Cross-contamination
FOOD CONTROL SYSTEMS
To guarantee quality and safety of the foods traded at the national and international level; Protecting the health of the consumers and
ensuring fair practices in the food trade; Facilitating food trade.
FOOD REGULATIONS
Consumer protection, facilitate the production of safe food and fair trade practices. Simple, coherent, transparent, result
of process of consensus among the food chain actors.
Based on risk assessment through the food chain.
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
To monitor and control production processes
Identify food safety hazards and critical control points
Production, processing and marketing Establish limits Monitor
Applied to meat, poultry, and eggs
Recognizing and Controlling Occupational Hazards
Determine if personnel have potential occupational exposure to environmental hazards.
Obtain training. Voluntarily notify supervisor or OMC of any pre-
disposition to environmental hazards that can create medical emergencies.
Use personal protective equipment, administrative controls, and engineering controls when exposed to environmental hazards.
Environmental Hazard Reduction or Control Strategy Prevent the creation of a hazard in the first place Reduce the amount of hazard brought into being Prevent the release of existing hazard Modify the rate or spatial distribution of release of hazard
from its source Separate, in time or in place, the hazard and that which is
to be protected. Separate the hazard and that which is to be protected by
interaction of a material barrier. Modify the basic qualities of the hazard. Make that which is to be protected more resistant to
damage from the hazard Counter damage already done by the environmental hazard Stabilize, repair, and provide rehabilitative corrective
measures