Environmental Health

&
Toxicology
Environmental Health?
The study of how the environment
affects your health.
Food
Air
Water
Sunlight
Noise
Soil
Environmental Health
Environmental health addresses all the physical,
chemical, and biological factors external to a
person, and all the related factors impacting
behaviours.

It encompasses the assessment and control of
those environmental factors that can potentially
affect health. It is targeted towards preventing
disease and creating health-supportive
environments.
What is Environmental Hazards & Risks?
Environmental hazards are incidents we face from the
environment that harm our physical, mental, moral, ethical
and spiritual wellbeing;

Hazard is explained by the level of risks;
Risk is the possibility of suffering harm from an event
(Hazard) that can cause injury, disease, economic loss or
environmental damage.
E.g.; if we say the life time cancer risk from exposure of a
chemical is 0.001; this means 1 in 1000 people could have
Cancer from the exposure of that chemical in a life span time
(60-70 years);

Risk assessment is the procedure through which probability of
harm to human health, to society or to environment are
determined that may result from exposure to specific hazard.
A hazard is anything in the environment that can hurt you or make
you sick;

Things in the environment that are harmful are called hazards
and include things like chemicals, disease-causing bacteria, loud
noises and even stress. Hazards can be natural or anthropogenic.
Hazards
Bacteria
& viruses
Harmful
chemicals
Loud noises
Tobacco
smoke
Stress
What are the major types of Hazards?
The categorization of hazards are mainly depends on
how it herms the Human being. The categorization
are:

Cultural hazards: example drug addiction, unsafe
working, smoking, poor diet, drinking driving, poverty;

Chemical Hazards: Air pollution, Water Pollution, food
poisoning, soil pollution;

Physical Hazards: Noise, Fire, storms, earthquakes,
volcanic eruption, floods;

Biological hazards: Pathogen, pollen, Bird flue;

Nuclear Hazards: Radiation leakage, excessive
exposure, UV radiation.
The 7 Core Concepts
To understand the field of environmental health,
you need to understand seven core concepts
Toxic means poisonous or dangerous;

Toxicology is the study of poisons;

Toxicity is a measure of how dangerous a
chemical is.


Exposure is
The total amount of a hazard that comes
in direct contact with your body.
The 3 parts of exposure
The
Source
of the hazard
(bus exhaust)
The
Environmental
Pathway
(air)
The
Contact
(inhaled fumes)
Route #1: Inhalation
Inhalation:

Breathing. When
chemicals enter the
body through this
route of exposure,
they can get stuck in
the lungs and/or be
taken up into the
bloodstream.
Route #2: Ingestion
Ingestion:

Swallowing (usually
by eating or drinking).
When chemicals enter
the body through this
route of exposure,
they can easily be
taken up into the
bloodstream.
Route #3: Dermal Absorption
Dermal Absorption:
Absorbing a chemical through any part of the skin,
including the eyes. When chemicals come in
contact with the skin, they can sometimes enter
the bloodstream through this route of exposure.
Exposure
X
X
X X
X
X
X
X = hazard
Dose
Dose is the amount of a hazard that
actually enters your body.
X
X
X
X
X
X
Exposure
X
X
X X
X
X
X
X = hazard
Dose
Dose is the amount of a hazard that
actually enters your body.
X
X
X
X
X
X
Exposure
X
X
X X
X
X
X
X = hazard
Dose
Dose is the amount of a hazard that
actually enters your body.
X
X
X
X
X
X
Exposure
X
X
What is dose?
X X
X
X
X
X = hazard
Dose
Dose is the amount of a hazard that
actually enters your body.
X
X
X
X
X
X
Dose can depend on
Duration of
Exposure:
How long?
Frequency of
Exposure:
How often?
Body Size:
How big or
small are you?
M
L
S
S
Dose can depend on
Duration of
Exposure:
How long?
Frequency of
Exposure:
How often?
Body Size:
How big or
small are you?
M
L
S
S
The larger the dose, the more extreme
the response will be.
Dose-Response Relationship:
As the dose of a toxicant increases,
so does the response.

2
3
4
0 1
DOSE
RESPONSE
0-1 NOAEL
2-3 Linear Range
4 Maximum Response
DOSE DETERMINES THE BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Some people are more likely than
others to get sick when they are
exposed to environmental hazards.
This might be because of their
genetics, body size, age, gender or
general health. This is called their
individual susceptibility.
Risks & Benefits
What are the risks and benefits
when grape growers use pesticides
on their crops?
Risks & Benefits
RISKS
BENEFITS
No bugs!

Better looking
fruit that is more
visually appealing

Bigger crops so
farmers can make
more profit
People ingest
pesticides with the
fruit and get sick

Pesticides get into
dirt and water

Animals ingest
pesticides and get
sick
By understanding the risks and benefits that we face
each day, we can make decisions that reduce our risk
and keep us as safe and healthy as possible.
What is environmental
justice?
Environmental Justice (EJ) means that
everyone has a right to live in an
environment that doesnt make them sick,
regardless of their race, culture, or income.
Well informed and well
communicated communities can take
necessary action to minimize
environmental hazards in a
sustainable way,
The EJ Process
Who is
producing
the hazard?
Who is being
exposed?
Who are the
decision
makers?
Establish a dialog
between the
decision makers,
scientists, and the
affected
community.
Empower
community
members to bring
about change.
Share information
and decisions with
community
members.
What is a Poison?
All substances are poisons;

There is none that is not a poison.

The right dose differentiates a poison and a
remedy.

Morbidity & Quality of Life
Not everyone dies from disease, but still can cause
severe suffering;

Poorest people are most affected because they live
in unhealthiest environments & dont have money
for health care;

Lack of adequate housing, sanitation, safe drinking
water causes most cases of diarrhea which is made
worse by malnutrition.
Pathogenic vs. Non-pathogenic
43% of all disease-related
deaths are from pathogens;

57% from cardiovascular
disease, cancer, lung
disease, injuries, etc.
Pathogenic
Non-
Pathogenic
Environmental Health
Pathogenic: Infectious Diseases
Onchocerciasis (river
blindness)
Vector: Black fly
Many roundworms get into
eyes & die causing
blindness
Control with insecticide
sprays
Merck & Co. are providing
free ivermectin to help
eradicate.

Infectious Diseases.
Elephantiasis
Vector: Mosquitoes
Roundworm gets into lymph
system and blocks lymph
vessels causing fluid build
up in the extremities.
SmithKline Beecham is
supplying free albendazole
to eradicate.
Infectious Diseases
Dengue Fever
Vector: Mosquitoes
20 million new cases;
2.5 billion current
cases

What causes disease to spread so
rapidly?
Population density , so contact
Moving into remote areas for agriculture exposure.
Deforestation, pollution causing local & global climate
change ( in temp = in mosquito pop.)
Eliminating predators so in rodent, roach, mosquito
pop.
in speed & frequency of travel (airplanes, ships) to
other countries
in resistance (Malaria) = Superbugs
Taking medication improperly leads to superbugs
Antibiotics given to farm animals increases their
resistance.
What determines how
dangerous a chemical is?
Persistence in
environment
Route/method of
exposure
Characteristics of
target organism
FACTORS RELATED TO TOXIC AGENT
1. Chemical composition & reactivity
2. Physical traits- solubility, state of matter
3. Presence of impurities
4. Stability and storage traits
5. Availability of vehicle to carry agent
6. Movement of agent thru environment & into cells
FACTORS RELATED TO EXPOSURE
1. Dose- concentration & volume of exposure
2. Route, Rate, and site of exposure
3. Duration and frequency of exposure
4. Time of exposure (time of day, season, year)
FACTORS RELATED TO ORGANISM
1. Resistance to uptake, storage, or cell permeability
2. Ability to metabolize or inactivate agent
3. Tendency to change non-toxic to toxic in body
4. Concurrent infections or physical stress
5. Species and genes of organism
6. Nutritional status of subject
7. Age, sex, body weight, immunological status & maturity
Mechanisms for minimizing toxic effects
Every material can be poisonous/toxic at some
level.

Most chemicals have safe levels or thresholds
below which their affects are undetectable.

EX: 100 cups of coffee have enough caffeine to kill
if consumed all at once- but most people dont
consume that much.

Taken in small doses, chemicals can be broken
down by the body and released.
Measuring Toxicity
How a material is delivered plays a vital role in
determining toxicity.
1. At what rate? (a little over time or all at once)
2. Through which route of entry? (skin, mouth,
nose)
3. In what medium? (solid, liquid, gas)

Different species respond differently and different
individuals in a species can react differently.
A xenobiotic is a chemical which is found in an
organism but which is not normally produced or
expected to present in it;

It can also cover substances which are present in
much higher concentrations than are usual;

Specifically, drugs such as antibiotics are
xenobiotics in humans because the human body
does not produce them itself, nor are they part of a
normal diet.
Xenobiotic
Physiochemical properties of toxicants;
Dose or concentration;
Mode and duration of exposure;
Environmental factors;
Interaction, and
Biological and nutritional factors.
Factors affecting Xenobiotic
Conclusion
Public health problems caused by environmental
contamination and emerging infectious diseases
are a growing concern worldwide.

Population growth and the associated pressures
of development are increasing the difficulties
associated with sustaining effective public health
practices and policies.

Well-targeted interventions can prevent much of the
environmental risk;

Worldwide, as many as 13 million deaths could be
prevented every year by making our environments
healthier;

Conclusion..

Understanding environmental and ecological health
is a prerequisite to protecting public health;

Advanced scientific knowledge and information
will improve our understanding about the
environmental co ntributions to disease and human
health in a sustainable way.