Define environmental health. Discuss the effects of Biological, Chemical and Physical agents in water on human health.

 Environmental health:

The environment can, directly and indirectly, impact on our health and wellbeing. Environmental health examines the interaction between the environment and our health. We use the following definitions: 

Environmental health refers to aspects of human health (including quality of life) that are determined by physical, chemical, biological, social and psychosocial factors in the environment.

Environment broadly includes everything external to ourselves, including the physical, natural, social, and behavioral environments.

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and is not merely the absence of disease or illness.

Having learned the two terms independently, now let us try to understand the concept of environmental health.

In 1989, the WHO defined it ‘as comprising of those aspects of human health and disease that are determined by factors in the environment.

It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing and controlling factors in the environment that can potentially effect health’.

We need safe, healthy and supportive environments for good health. The environment in which we live is a major determinant of our health and wellbeing.

We depend on the environment for energy and the materials needed to sustain life, such as:

i.Clean air.

ii. Safe drinking water.

iii. Nutritious food.

iv. Safe places to live.

Effects of Biological, Chemical and Physical agents in water on human health:

The environment, as discussed, can be divided into three components:

Biological composed of plants, animals, rodents, viruses and other life forms; Physical made of non-living things like air, water, soil, housing, waste, radiation etc. and social environment that include customs, culture, habits, income, religion, occupation, education, lifestyle etc. 

There are various agents (biological, chemical and physical) in the environment that influence human health through the physical environment that is discussed below.

1 Occurrence of pesticides in water adversely affects human health and research reveals its strong linkages with cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, brain, kidney, breast, prostate, pancreas, liver, lung and skin cancers), neurological disorders, birth defects, fetal death and altered fetal growth.

2 Thermal pollution results in excessive heat production, which are detrimental for human health and aquatic organisms.

3 Marine pollution that is caused by oil spill, waste disposal, esp. plastic is extremely damaging for marine and human life. Tons of plastic wastes are found in stomach of dead whales, asbestos and other animals.

4 Radioactive waste is produced for harnessing nuclear energy or defense purposes and the leftover waste from the experiments conducted are dumped into oceans.

This waste has an extremely long life and has an effect on the health of the ecosystem.

5 Pollutants like zinc cause vomiting, renal damage, cramps; copper hypertension, sporadic fever, uremia, coma; barium excessive salivation, colic, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, paralysis of muscles or nervous system, damage to heart and blood vessels;

cadmium vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pains, softening of bones, fractures, skeletal deformations, damage of kidney, hypertension, tumor formation, heart disease,impaired reproductive function, 

genetic mutation; mercury impairment of vision and muscles, paralysis; lead high rate of miscarriages, affects skin, and respiratory system, damages kidney,

liver and brain cells; arsenic cancer of skin, lungs and liver, chromosomal aberration and damage, gangrene, loss of hearing, injury to nerve tissue, liver and kidney damage.

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