ENVIRONMENTA

L HAZARDS

Maamo, Sheryn Rose L.

BS in Civil Engineering
 TOPIC
OUTLINE
 Introduction
 Environmental hazards that is categorized in
three types:
• Chemical
• Physical
• Biological
 References
 Introduction
• An environmental hazard is a substance, a state or an event which has the
potential to threaten the surrounding natural environment/adversely affect people’s
health, including pollution and natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes.

• It can include any single or combination of toxic chemical, biological, or physical

agents in the environment, resulting from human activities or natural processes,
that may impact the health of exposed subjects, including pollutants such as heavy
metals, pesticides, biological contaminants, toxic waste, industrial and home
chemicals.Any physical, chemical, or biotic component/agent or non-living
substance that is responsible to bring about an undesirable change in the
• Human-made hazards while not immediately health-threatening may
turn out detrimental to a human's well-being eventually, because
deterioration in the environment can produce secondary, unwanted
negative effects on the human ecosphere.
• The effects of water pollution may not be immediately visible
because of a sewage system that helps drain off toxic substances. If
those substances turn out to be persistent (e.g. persistent organic
pollutant), however, they will literally be fed back to their producers
via the food chain: plankton -> edible fish -> humans. In that
 Chemical hazards
• Are toxic substances, which cause
damage to living organisms.
• Air pollutants (such as second-hand
smoke or carbon monoxide), heavy
metals, and pesticides are a few
examples. We can be exposed to these
contaminants from a variety of
residential, commercial, and industrial
sources.
• Sometimes harmful environmental
 Classifications
Arsenic (As)
• Naturally occurring element that is
normally present throughout our
environment in water, soil, dust, air, and
food. Levels of arsenic can regionally
vary due to farming and industrial activity
as well as natural geological processes.
• Most arsenic gets into the body through
ingestion of food or water.
• Arsenic poisoning causes a variety of
symptoms and serious health conditions.
Researchers are finding that arsenic, even
at low levels, can interfere with the body’s
Mercury (Hg)
• Naturally occurring metal, a useful chemical in some products,
and a potential health risk.
• Although fish and shellfish have many nutritional benefits,
consuming large quantities of fish increases a person’s
exposure to mercury. Pregnant women who eat fish high in
mercury on a regular basis run the risk of permanently
damaging their developing fetuses. Children born to these
mothers may exhibit motor difficulties, sensory problems and
cognitive deficits.
• To keep mercury out of the fish we eat and the air we breathe,
it’s important to take mercury-containing products to a
hazardous waste facility for disposal.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

• A group of manufactured organic chemicals used in a variety

of industries. They can be found in food packaging, stain- and
water-repellent fabrics, non-stick products (such as Teflon),
polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning products, and fire-fighting
foams.
• Studies indicate that some PFAS can cause reproductive and
developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological effects in
laboratory animals. More limited findings associate some
PFAS with low infant birth weights, effects on the immune
system, cancer, and thyroid hormone disruption in humans.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

• A group of manufactured organic chemicals. They belong to a

broad family of chemicals known as chlorinated
hydrocarbons, which consisting of carbon, hydrogen and
chlorine atoms.
• Polychlorinated biphenyls have been shown to cause cancer,
cause birth defects, and affect the immune, reproductive,
nervous, and endocrine systems in animals. Studies in humans
support evidence for potential carcinogenic and non-
carcinogenic effects of PCBs.
Phthalates
• A group of synthetic chemicals used to soften and increase the
flexibility of plastic and vinyl. Polyvinyl chloride is made
softer and more flexible by the addition of phthalates.
• Exposure to low levels of phthalates may come from eating
food packaged in plastic that contains phthalates or breathing
dust in rooms with vinyl miniblinds, wallpaper, or recently
installed flooring that contain phthalates. We can be exposed
to phthalates by drinking water that contains phthalates.
• Phthalates are suspected to be endocrine disruptors. Some
types of phthalates have affected the reproductive system of
laboratory animals.
Radon
• A radioactive gas that is naturally-occurring, colorless and
odorless. It comes from the natural decay of uranium or
thorium found in nearly all soils.
• Long-term exposure to these particles can lead to lung cancer.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-
smokers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, and the second leading cause behind smoking.
 Physical hazards
• An additional force that can imperil
humans. Physical hazards may arise
naturally such as natural disasters
(earthquakes, wildfires, landslides, etc.)
or extreme weather.
• Others may arise from human structures
or activities (traffic accident, building
collapse, injury from mechanical
equipment, strain on the body from
Radiation
• Energy that is given off by matter in the form of rays or high-
speed particles, and some types of radiation present a physical
hazard.
• Some types of radioactive materials are more dangerous than
others. Specifically, ionizing radiation, like X rays and gamma
rays (one of the forms of radiation emitted from nuclear fuel
and waste), have enough energy to break molecular bonds and
displace (or remove) electrons from atoms.
 Biological hazards
• For most of human history, biological hazards were the most significant factor in
health. Biological hazards are infectious (communicable) diseases caused by
pathogens (disease-causing organisms or infectious particles) such as:

 Bacteria: a single-celled organisms with small, simple cells. Examples of

bacterial diseases include tuberculosis, cholera, bacterial pneumonia, and
dysentery.
• Fungi: may have one or
multiple cells and have a
more complex cell type than
bacteria. Fungal diseases
include minor infections like
candidiasis (yeast infection)
or athlete's foot, but they can
also causes severe respiratory
infections (histoplasmosis,
coccidioidomycosis, etc.)
particularly in individuals
with compromised immune
systems.
• Parasitic worms: are animals
from several phyla (groups)
that siphon nutrients from
their hosts. Examples include
tapeworms, commonly
acquired through consuming
undercooked meat, and blood
flukes (Schist soma).
• Protozoa: like fungi, have
larger, more complex cells
than bacteria, but they are
single celled and lack the
rigid cell wall that
surrounds fungal cells.
Malaria, African
trypanosomiasis (sleeping
• Prions (proteinaceous
infectious particles) are
even simpler than viruses
because they lack genetic
material and only contain
protein.
• Viruses: are infectious particles with genetic
information surrounded by a protein coat, but
they are not technically considered organisms in
part because they do not consist fo cells.
COVID-19, influenza, measles, the common
cold, ebola viral disease (Ebola haemorrhagic
fever), and human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS) are all caused by viruses.
 References
• Environmental Health at a glance. 2003. World Bank. Washington,
DC. (licensed under CC-BY)
• Asbestos. 2018. Environment Protection Agency. Accessed 01-07-
2021. (public domain)
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). 2018. Environment
Protection Agency. Accessed 01-07-2021. (public domain)
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). 2020. Environment Protection
Agency. Accessed 01-08-2021. (public domain)