1. Environmental Health 9
CHAPTER
Placeholder opening page, but maybe we can duplicate the look of the SE chapter opener page by using the same fonts and colors (and maybe that Ch 14 icon?)

2. The Rise and Fall—and Rise?—of DDT
DDT is the least expensive way of killing the mosquitoes that cause malaria.
DDT harms fish and birds, and can cause liver damage, cancer, and convulsions in humans.
In the 1970s many countries banned the use of DDT, but some African countries have resumed its use to control malaria.
Talk About It Evidence shows that DDT damages ecosystems but helps eradicate malaria in areas where millions of people die of the disease each year. Should DDT be used in malaria-stricken areas? Why or why not?

3. Lesson 9.1 An Overview of Environmental Health
One third of death and disease in the least developed nations is a direct result of environmental causes.

4. Types of Environmental Health Hazards
Lesson 9.1 An Overview of Environmental Health
Types of Environmental Health Hazards
Biological: Viruses, bacteria, and other organisms that cause disease
Social: Lifestyle choices that endanger health
Chemical: Harmful artificial and natural chemicals in the environment
Physical: Natural disasters and ongoing natural phenomena, such as UV radiation, that can cause health problems

5. Lesson 9.1 An Overview of Environmental Health
Epidemiology
The study of disease in human populations—how and where they occur and how they can be controlled
Often involves studying large groups over long periods
Can determine statistical associations between health hazards and effects, but can’t prove the hazards actually caused the effects

6. Lesson 9.1 An Overview of Environmental Health
Toxicology
The study of how poisonous substances affect an organism’s health
Toxicity is a measure of how harmful a substance is.
Toxicologists look at toxicity by determining dose-response relationships.

7. Lesson 9.1 An Overview of Environmental Health
Individual Responses
Sensitivity to hazards varies with age, sex, weight, and immune system health.
Many diseases have genetic as well as environmental factors.
Image - (Creative Commons licensed)
Geyser info source - National Park Service:
Did You Know? Thalidomide, a drug that currently shows promise for treatment of Alzheimer's, AIDS, and some cancers, caused thousands of severe birth defects when it was used as an anti-nauseal in the 1950s and 60s.

8. Risk Assessment Risk: The probability that a hazard will cause harm
Lesson 9.1 An Overview of Environmental Health
Risk Assessment
Risk: The probability that a hazard will cause harm
Risk assessment: The process of measuring risk
Takes into account:
The type of hazard
How frequently humans will be exposed to it
How sensitive people are to it

9. Lesson 9.2 Biological and Social Hazards
Three quarters of infectious disease deaths are caused by five types of diseases: respiratory infections, AIDS, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Tuberculosis-causing bacteria

10. Infectious Diseases Caused by pathogens
Lesson 9.2 Biological and Social Hazards
Infectious Diseases
Caused by pathogens
Spread by human and animal contact and through contaminated food and water
Cause of almost half of all deaths in developing nations
Covering your mouth when you cough, washing your hands often, and staying home from school if you’re sick help prevent the spread of infectious disease.
Did You Know? In 2002, AIDS killed about 2 million people worldwide— almost equal to the entire population of Arkansas.

11. Lesson 9.2 Biological and Social Hazards
Emerging Diseases
Diseases appearing in the human population for the first time or suddenly beginning to spread rapidly
Humans have little or no resistance, and no vaccines have been developed.
Facilitated by increasing human mobility, growing antibiotic resistance, and environmental changes

12. Responding to Emerging Diseases
Lesson 9.2 Biological and Social Hazards
Responding to Emerging Diseases
World Health Organization (WHO): Monitors health events worldwide and coordinates international responses to emerging diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Responds to emerging diseases in the United States; the CDC developed pandemic plans to deal with the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.
H1N1 Virus

13. Social Hazards Some social hazards are easier to avoid than others.
Lesson 9.2 Biological and Social Hazards
Social Hazards
Some social hazards are easier to avoid than others.
Examples of social hazards include smoking, being exposed to secondhand smoke, living near an old toxic waste site, working with harmful chemicals, and eating fatty foods.

14. Lesson 9.3 Toxic Substances in the Environment
Chemicals are all around us, and all of them can be harmful to our health in large enough amounts. In other words, “The dose makes the poison.”

15. Chemical Hazards Any chemical can be harmful in large enough amounts.
Lesson 9.3 Toxic Substances in the Environment
Chemical Hazards
Any chemical can be harmful in large enough amounts.
A pollutant is something released into the environment that has some harmful impact on people and other organisms.
Chemical hazards are not necessarily pollutants, and pollutants are not necessarily chemical hazards.
Oil Pollution

16. Types of Chemical Hazards
Lesson 9.3 Toxic Substances in the Environment
Types of Chemical Hazards
Carcinogens: Cancer-causing chemicals
Chemical mutagens: Chemicals that cause genetic mutations
Teratogens: Chemicals that harm embryos and fetuses
Neurotoxins: Chemicals that affect the nervous system
Endocrine disruptors: Chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system
Allergens: Chemicals that over-activate the immune system
Dust mite protein is a common allergen.

17. Indoor Chemical Hazards
Lesson 9.3 Toxic Substances in the Environment
Indoor Chemical Hazards

18. Sources of Outdoor Chemical Hazards
Lesson 9.3 Toxic Substances in the Environment
Sources of Outdoor Chemical Hazards
In the air: Natural sources, such as volcanic eruptions, or human sources, such as pesticides
In the ground: Pesticide use, improper disposal of electronics, etc.
In the water: Chemical runoff from land or direct drainage of toxic substances into water
A leaking oil line

19. Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Lesson 9.3 Toxic Substances in the Environment
Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Bioaccumulation: The buildup of toxic substances in the bodies of organisms
Biomagnification: The increased concentration of toxic substances with each step in a food chain
Persistent organic pollutants are biomagnified and stay in the environment for long periods of time and over long distances.

20. Lesson 9.4 Natural Disasters
Although we cannot prevent most natural disasters, there are steps that scientists, engineers, governments, and citizens can take to resist damage and deal with the aftermath.
A landslide caused by the Great Sichuan Earthquake in Sichuan Province, China

21. Lesson 9.4 Natural Disasters
Earthquakes
Earth’s crust is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates, which float on a layer of molten rock.
Earthquakes tend to occur along active plate boundaries.
Earthquakes can damage structures and trigger landslides and tsunamis.

22. Lesson 9.4 Natural Disasters
Volcanoes
Openings in Earth’s crust that eject molten lava and other materials
Ash and gases from volcanic eruptions can block sunlight, causing temperatures to drop.
Eruptions can trigger landslides and mudflows.
Molten lava can cover and destroy surrounding land.
Did You Know? In 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines, covering the area around the volcano with a layer of volcanic materials up to 180 m (600 ft) thick.

23. Lesson 9.4 Natural Disasters
Storms
Tornadoes: Rotating funnels of air that can travel over 400 km (250 mi) per hr
Hurricanes: Storms that form over tropical oceans, with winds over 119 km (74 mi) per hour
Thunderstorms: Produce lightning and thunder, usually with heavy rain
Did You Know? Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans in 2005, caused more than $80 billion in damage and killed 1800 people.

24. Avalanches Masses of snow that slide down a slope
Lesson 9.4 Natural Disasters
Avalanches
Masses of snow that slide down a slope
Conditions favoring avalanches:
Slope greater than 30 degrees
Unstable snowpack
Heavy snowfall
Warm temperatures
Did You Know? A big North American avalanche can contain 230,000 m3 of snow—about the equivalent of 20 football fields filled with snow 3 m (10 ft) deep.