1. Chapter 14
Environmental Health

2. Health Goal #81: I Will Stay Informed About Environmental Issues
Global environmental issues are concerns that affect the quality of life of people everywhere
Five environmental Issues that interest many people around the world are:
Population growth
Poverty and hunger
Greenhouse effect and global warming
Thinning of ozone layer
Reduction of rain forests

3. Staying Informed About Environmental Issues
There are several ways to stay informed about environmental issues
Media
Radio
Television
Magazines
WWW sites

4. Health Goal #82: I Will Be Aware of Organizations and Global Initiatives to Protect the Environment
Governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations are reliable sources of information about environmental issues
A regulatory agency is an agency that enforces laws to protect the general public
The following are primary federal agencies charged with protecting the environment
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

5. Health Goal #83: I Will Help Keep the Air Clean
Air pollution is contamination of the air that causes negative effects on life and health
Affects various areas of health, such as respiratory, cardiovascular, and immune system
Even healthy people who exercise and stay fit can become ill in areas where air pollution is concentrated

6. Sources of Air Pollution
Fossil fuels
Particulates
Motor vehicle emissions
Smog
Indoor air pollution
Second-hand smoke
Environmental smoke
Asbestos
Radon

7. Health Goal #84: I Will Help Keep the Water Safe
Water covers two-thirds of the earth’s surface
Less than 1 percent of the water on earth is fresh
Fresh water is water that is not contaminated or salty
People need fresh water to live and comes from:
Streams
Rivers
Reservoirs
Wells

8. Water Pollution
Water pollution is contamination of water that causes negative effects on life and health
Water run-off is water that runs off the land into a body of water that can pick up pollutants along the way

9. Water Pollution Sources
Toxic chemicals
Fertilizers
Trihalomethanes
Sediments
Radioactive waste
Thermal pollution
Microorganisms

10. Health Goal #85: I Will Help Keep Noise at a Safe Level
Noise is a sound that produces discomfort or annoyance
Noise can cause health problems and is a leading pollutant of the environment
Sound waves are vibrations of air
Pitch is how high or low the sounds are
Amplitude is the loudness of a sound

11. Noise Pollution
Noise pollution is a loud commotion that causes hearing loss, stress, fatigue, irritability, and tension
Can also cause accidents by preventing people from hearing warnings or interfering with the ability to concentrate or perform
Over 85 dB will result in hearing loss (OSHA)

12. Keeping Noise at Safe Levels
Keep the volume of radios, etc., at a safe level
Avoid listening to music through headphones or headset at an unsafe level
Wear protective earplugs when operating loud machinery/power tools
Wear protective earplugs when attending loud concerts
Use your fingers to protect your ears if you don’t have earplugs
Distance yourself from loud sounds if you cannot avoid exposure to the sounds and don’t have earplugs
Be considerate of others
Avoid drinking alcohol

13. Health Goal #86: I Will Help Improve My Visual Environment
The visual environment is everything people see around them
Visual pollution refers to unattractive sights (e.g., litter, graffiti, dilapidated buildings)
Can also include indoor surroundings, such as clutter and trash

14. Positive Visual Environment and Health Status
The following are ways that that positive visual environment improves health status:
Improves mood
Improves motivation
Helps relieve stress
Contributes to quality of life
Improves social health

15. Improving the Visual Environment
Pick up clutter
Clean up litter
Put up pictures
Add plants and other living things
Improve the view outside
Change the colors
Organize a clean-up campaign
Write to community leaders about visual pollution in the community

16. Health Goal #87: I Will Help Conserve Energy and Natural Resources
Natural resources include anything obtained from the natural environment to meet people’s needs
Energy is the ability to do work
Sources of energy are:
Fossil fuels
Nuclear energy
Hydroelectric power
Solar energy
Biomass
Geothermal energy
Wind energy
Hydrogen power

17. Health Goal #88: I Will Precycle, Recycle, and Dispose of Waste Properly
Solid waste is discarded solid materials
A landfill is a place where waste is dumped in layers and buried
Solid waste is a problem because it:
Pollutes the air
Pollutes the soil
Pollutes the water supply
Takes up space
Precycling is a process of reducing waste by using packages over again
Recycling is a process of re-forming a waste product to be used again

18. Waste Disposal
Landfill
Incineration
Composting
Deep-injection wells

19. Health Goal #89: I Will Protect the Natural Environment
The Natural Environment is everything around a person that is not made by people
Natural environment improves health status
Influences quality of life
Allows for people to enjoy and appreciate nature

20. Protecting the Natural Environment
Follow all rules
Do not leave belongings behind
Do not litter or leave other objects
Do not destroy or harm the environment
Do not take things out of the natural environment
Do not feed wild animals
Stay on trails
Keep fires small and make sure they are extinguished before leaving
Be considerate of others when in the natural environment
Do not drink out of lakes and streams or consume wild plants

21. Health Goal #90: I Will Be a Health Advocate for the Environment
Health advocacy for the environment is taking responsibility to improve the quality of life about the environment
Health advocates take action to improve the quality of the environment
They have successfully influenced the passage of laws that protect the environment

22. How to Become an Effective Advocate
Take responsibility for your personal actions regarding the environment
Stay informed about environmental issues that affect the community, nation, and world
Take actions to promote the environment
Encourage others to protect the environment
Volunteer to work on environmental improvement projects in the community
Organize environmental improvement projects

23. Chapter 14
Environmental Health