Components of environment

1. Physical: air, water, soil, housing…

2. Biological: man, virus, microbial agents, insects..
3. Psychosocial environment: cultural values, attitudes, education, lifestyles…

Characteristics of health effects

Adverse (poisoning) Beneficial (clean air)

Acute (immediate) Delayed onset
Clinical (have symptoms) Subclinical manifestations (no
symptoms, but can be checked by lab
tests)
Transient (reversible) e.g. blood pressure Chronic (irreversible)

Beneficial environmental effects: 1. Longevity 2. Sustained functionality

Adverse environmental effects: 1. Death 2. Sick 3. Dysfunctional

Facets of environmental health

1. Environmental epidemiology (association between exposure [air pollution] and
development of disease [lung cancer])
2. Environmental toxicology (causal mechanism; how smoking causes lung cancer)
**1 & 2 are basis of environmental health risk assessment**
3. Environmental engineering (factors that govern and reduce exposure)
4. Preventive medicine (reduce disease development)
5. Law (legislation to protect public health)
**3 & 4 & 5 are bases of environmental health risk management**

 Environmental health problems in the US and worldwide

1. Release of toxic chemicals into air and water
2. People diagnosed with asthma in US increase to 8% of population; tobacco
smoke + air pollution are said to be asthma triggers
3. Air quality exceeds quality standards

Developing countries have more serious environmental health problems

- even though developed countries are highly industrialised and release vast
quantities of pollutants into the environment from industrial processes and motor
vehicles

Why developed countries have less serious environmental problems?

1. Better awareness of environmental protection
2. Are better able to finance pollution controls
3. Provide better access to medical care

Why developing countries have more serious environmental problems?

1. Rapid growth in population -> more industrial activities
2. Rapid economic development but less advanced technology -> cannot carry out
pollution control effectively

Risk level and health effects increase in scale with the increasing country
development
1. Less developed countries

Environmental problems: indoor air pollution

Risk level: household level
Health effects: immediate or short-term

2. Developing countries
Environmental problems: ambient air pollution
Risk level: region/country level
Health effects: delay or long-term

 3. Developed countries

Environmental problems: increased greenhouse gas, global warming

Risk level: global level
Health effects: long-term

Vulnerable Sub-groups of the population

1. Elderly
2. People with disabilities and chronic diseases
3. Pregnant women
4. Children

Factors that affect susceptibility [why?]

1. Age
2. Gender
3. Race [genetic differences]
4. Past history of contracting respiratory and cardiovascular diseases [weakened
immune system and detoxifying organ]
5. Socioeconomic status [chances of exposure]

Terminology related to Growth Rate

1. Total fertility rate = how many births a woman would have by the end of her
reproductive life
2. Fertility rate = the number of births per 1000 women between the ages of 15 and
44 in a particular year
3. Birth rate = total number of births per 1000 of a population in a particular year
4. Mortality rate = number of deaths per 1000 of a population in a particular year

Growth rate = Birth rate - Death rate

*factors that affect growth rate may also affect population growth, but birth rate is the
most important contribution, because death rates have stabilised*

Factors affecting Death Rate

1. Availability of medical treatments
2. Better food supplies and nutrition
3. Improvements in sanitation
4. Access to clean water

 Population growth
- LDC has a larger population growth than MDC, indicating that global population
growth is driven by developing countries

Consequences of Population Growth

**population growth may lead to environmental degradation**
1. Deforestation and agriculture development [agriculture development is lagging
behind population growth] (more land for housing and economic activities)
2. Insufficient water
3. Climate change
4. Natural resource degradation
5. Insufficient ecological footprint
6. Fisheries collapse
7. Loss of animals and plant species due to shrinking forests-

Effect of global warming due to increasing population

1. Global warming due to increasing greenhouse gases caused by increasing human
activities
2. Global warming leads to rising oceans and increased the risk of flooding
3. Coastal erosion occurs and leads to salinisation of aquifers and coastal crop land

 Demographic Transition (PTIP)

1. Preindustrial stage = little population growth due to both high birth and death
rates (harsh social conditions)
2. Transitional stage = industrialisation begins -> healthcare improves -> birth rate
remains high but death rate drops
3. Industrial stage = birth rate drops due to modernisation and accompanying social
changes, population starts to stabilise
4. Postindustrial stage = birth rate further drops, zero population growth results ->
stable population
** A complete Demographic Transition show show both declining birth and death
rates **