Environmental health is the study of how environmental factors can harm human health and how to identify, prevent, and control such effects. (University of Washington)
The influence of the environment on human health is quite significant. Many diseases arise from atmospheric pollution, poor drinking water, and consumption of chemically treated food.
Health depends 50% on lifestyle, 20% on exposure to the environment and technology, 20% on poor heredity, and only 10% on the level of health care.
Environmental factors affecting health
- Air
- Water
- Soil
- Noise
- Nutrition
Effects of air on human health:
Contaminated air irritates most of the respiratory tract, causing bronchitis, asthma, and allergic reactions, and worsens the general state of human health: headaches, nausea, feeling of weakness, and reduced or loss of the ability to work. – Such industrial wastes as chromium, nickel, beryllium, asbestos, and many toxic chemicals have been found to cause cancer.
The impact of air on human health:
If one lives in a city and especially near busy highways and industrial plants, one should take every opportunity to breathe clean air.
In homes, we should close the windows more tightly and use various technical means for purifying the air, as there are many of them on sale now.
Water and Health.
Contaminated drinking water can hurt health. Water can contain dangerous chemicals, pathogens, and bacteria, thereby causing poisoning and infectious diseases (typhoid, dysentery, polio, gastroenteritis, viral hepatitis A, etc.). It is recommended to use only filtered, bottled, or boiled water for drinking purposes. What is the danger of contaminated soil? From contaminated soil, harmful substances and pathogenic bacteria penetrate the groundwater, which is absorbed from the soil by plants, and then, through milk and meat of animals, vegetables, and fruits, get into the human body.
Safe food.
We need to be careful with the consumption of agricultural products. Farmers now use a lot of fertilizers that stimulate plant growth. This cannot be good for the quality of the produce.
Buyers should not hesitate – and demand from sellers documents confirming the safety of greens, vegetables, and fruits. To reduce the concentration of harmful substances, fruits and vegetables should be kept in clean water, changing it periodically. Water can draw out harmful substances, and their content becomes less. Important and heat treatment of products, many harmful substances under the influence of high temperatures degrade. And it is desirable to prefer agricultural products from local producers, as well as those that correspond to this time of year.
Effects of noise on the human body.
Constant exposure to strong noise can lead to decreased hearing sensitivity, and cause other disorders – tinnitus, dizziness, headaches, increased fatigue, and reduced immunity; contributes to hypertension, coronary heart disease, and other diseases. Disturbances in the human body due to noise become noticeable only over time. Noise interferes with normal rest and recuperation and disrupts sleep. Systematic lack of sleep and insomnia leads to severe nervous disorders. Therefore, the protection of sleep from noise stimuli should be given great attention.
What else needs to be kept in mind:
When building or repairing their homes and apartments is desirable to buy environmentally friendly materials, although they are certainly more expensive than those that can cause damage. But what can be more expensive than health? What else is necessary to remember:
Environmental safety is not just about clean air, water, and soil. We must pay attention even to what we wear.
Clothing and shoes are increasingly being produced using materials that are harmful to our health. These substances evaporate in contact with the body, and poor-quality clothes and shoes can cause allergic reactions, skin diseases, and even cancer. What else should be kept in mind: Women should pay attention to the choice of cosmetics and household chemicals. There are a lot of low-quality cosmetics now, which can also harm your health.
A healthy planet – healthy people.
Let’s take care of our planet like our own health. And to preserve health, you have to live a healthy lifestyle, stop bad habits, have a sensible diet, and do physical exercise. Thank you for your attention!
