Slide 1: Global Environment & Health Dr. Adinegara bin Lutfi
Slide 2: Environment : • All (living or non-living) that is external to the individual human host in which he is in constant interaction Physical: Air, water, soil, housing, Climate, etc. Psychosocial: Cultural values, habits, beliefs, attitudes, moral, social interaction, etc. Biological: Insects, rodents, animals, plants, other human beings
Slide 3: Epidemiological triad: • Interaction between agent, host and environment plays a role in the development of disease Agent Host Environment
Slide 4: Agent Host Environment Prepathogenesis Termination: Recovery, disability or death
Slide 5: Human alteration of environment • Between one-third and one-half of the land surface has been transformed by human action • Increased CO2 concentration in the air • more than half of all accessible surface fresh water is put to use by humanity
Slide 6: Action/ Activities by human 1. Population explosion 2. Fossil fuel combustion - Global warming 4. Use of CFCs - Ozone depletion Environment Health
Slide 7: Global warming • Increase in average global atmospheric temperature resulting from the green house effect ( in which there is retention of heat by CO2)
Slide 8: Global warming • Greenhouse gases, naturally present at low concentrations in the lower atmosphere, keep the Earth's mean surface temperature at 15°C. • Without this trapping of heat ("radiative forcing") the mean air temperature would be -18°C
Slide 11: Sources of increasing greenhouse effect: 1. 2. 3. 4. Motor vehicles Industries Furnaces Deforestation Combustion of fossil fuels
Slide 14: Greenhouse effect Global warming Increased temperature/ rainfall Migration of plants to higher latitudes Increased vector-borne diseases Ex. Alaska & NZ Ex. Malaria, Dengue
Slide 15: Greenhouse effect Global warming Direct effect Heat related illnesses -heat rash, heat cramp, heat stroke, etc. 1. 2. 3. 4. Indirect effect Droughts Floods Algae production Conversion of nitrogen oxide to ground ozone directly related to heat
Slide 16: Indirect effects of global warming: • 1) Droughts – increasing incidence of vector-borne diseases • 2) Flash floods/ floods –increasing incidence of food and water borne diseases • 3) Growth of algae in surface waters, estuaries and coastal waters in which 40 of the 5000 species of marine phytoplankton (algae) can produce biotoxins and reach human consumers through shellfish.
Slide 17: Indirect effects of global warming: • 4) Increased vector population (rodent) causing outbreak of new diseases (Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) • 5) Rise in sea level causing salination of farmlands, etc. causing economic disruption
Slide 18: Prevention of excessive greenhouse effect: • 1) Prevent deforestation; encourage reforestation and soil restoration; • 2) Reduce the burning of fossil fuels through conservation and energy efficiency • 3) Legislated emission reductions • 4) Use of alternative energy sources – wind power, solar, etc. • 5) Greening of inner cities • 6) Research
Slide 19: Ozone depletion • Hole in the ozone layer (commonly found in the ozonosphere 10-50km above surface of earth) allowing filtration of harmful ultraviolet radiation
Slide 20: Ozone depletion: Effect of UV rays Direct health effect Indirect health effect 1. Skin cancer 2. Cataract 3. Decreased cellular immunity - increased infections - Non Hodgkin Lymphoma 1. Production of photochemical smog 3. Destruction of planktons in oceans affected and in certain plants and animals - reduction of food production
Slide 21: Strategies in countering ozone depletion • 1) Banning of substances that may adversely effect the ozone layer • - CFC, halons (halogenated hydrocarbon), methyl chloroform and methyl bromide • 2) Phase-out of those existing technologies which are known or are likely to affect adversely the stratospheric ozone layer – SST • 3) Legislation • 4) International cooperation
Slide 24: Effects of uncontrolled population explosion on health: Population explosion Increased consumption of natural resources Technology used in extracting natural resources Environmental degradation -formation of unusable land, deserts, etc.
Slide 25: Effect of human activity: • 10% of the Earth's surface from forest or rangeland into desert. • Degradation of 25% of all agricultural lands • Unproductive land and food scarcity contributing to malnutrition among 1 billion people, with infants and children suffering the most serious health consequences
Slide 26: Effects of population explosion on health: Environmental degradation Generation of waste and pollution 1. Air pollution 2. Water pollution 3. Soil pollution Reduction of natural resources and basic needs
Slide 27: Effects of population explosion on health: 1. Environmental degradation 2. Declining food 3. Communicable diseases (food and water-borne) Increased morbidity/ mortality in developing countries
Slide 28: Strategies to minimize environmental degradation due to population explosion • 1) Using improved economic system and new technology in consuming natural resources • 2) Decrease use of fossil fuels • 3) Preserve forest • 4) Reform projects • - mineral production, logging, transportation, agriculture, fisheries, livestock, energy use, waste disposal, control of pesticides and other toxic substances