The 8 Environmental Factors That Can Impact Your Health



 A number of specific environmental issues can impede human health and wellness. These issues include chemical pollution, air pollution, climate change, disease-causing microbes, lack of access to health care, poor infrastructure, and poor water quality.


1. Chemical Safety

Different chemicals can impact human health in different ways, and often, exposure to dangerous or foreign substances creates health vulnerabilities. The chemical safety field is concerned with minimizing the effects of both natural and synthetic chemicals. More specifically, chemical safety seeks to safeguard human and environmental health from exposure to potential toxins; it focuses on chemicals that exist in the ambient world, as well as synthetic chemicals that are used in industrial processes or are the by-products of manufacturing activity.

Public health officials who work in chemical safety often focus on toxicology, which is the study of substances that have a toxic effect on the human body, whether when ingested or when absorbed through natural surroundings. Another important aspect of public health is chemical risk assessment, which involves scientists and clinicians working to determine a substance’s full biological effects.

This is a critical field of public health: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.6 million deaths in 2016 were due to exposure to selected chemicals. Some examples of dangerous chemicals in the environment are heavy metals and toxins that find their way into the water supply and harmful pesticides that make their way into the food supply chain.


2. Air Pollution

Studies have shown that air pollution effects on humans are a significant public health concern, not only because of their role in climate change, but also because exposure to air pollution can increase morbidity and mortality.

When environmental scientists talk about air pollution, they’re describing any solid or liquid particles, as well as gases, that are suspended in the air and have harmful or poisonous effects. When we think about air pollution, we tend to think in terms of human-caused pollutants, and rightly so: Some of the most dangerous and ubiquitous examples of air pollution include car and truck exhaust, as well as polluting by-products of industrial processes. However, many natural air pollutants can cause health concerns; for example, pollen and mold spores are often linked with asthma and allergies.

According to the WHO, air pollution effects on humans are significant. For example, air pollution causes:

  • 29% of all global deaths from lung disease
  • 24% of all global deaths from stroke
  • 17 % of all global deaths and disease from acute lower respiratory infection

 

3. Climate Change and Natural Disasters

Another environmental issue with serious ramifications for human health is climate change, along with the increase in natural disasters that has accompanied the shift in Earth’s climate. The National Environmental Health Association lists climate change as the single biggest human health threat of the 21st century.

Climate change disrupts the natural world in a number of ways that can impede health and increase vulnerability to disease; these include increases in the planet’s temperature and more frequent heavy rains and runoff. The various impacts may result in greater vulnerability to nervous and respiratory diseases, diarrhea, and more.

Additionally, climate change increases the frequency of natural disasters, often having a ravenous effect on homes and communities and sometimes resulting in loss of life. Wildfires, hurricanes, cyclones, and droughts are just a few examples.


4. Diseases Caused by Microbes

Diseases caused by microbes — also known as microorganisms — present another area of public health concern. Trillions of microbes exist within the human body, and they also live in water, soil, and air. Most of them have no negative health effects, and many microbes perform important biological functions, such as supporting digestive and immune health, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi are types of microbes.

Harmful microbes, which are more commonly called pathogens or germs, can infect humans and cause illness. Eating is one of the primary ways in which humans can contract diseases caused by microbes. One example is food poisoning from E. coli, a type of bacteria that can be found in the environment and in foods, and which can cause respiratory illness, urinary tract infections, and other adverse health effects.

There are also a number of harmful microbes that live in the soil. Humans can come into contact with them by ingesting them (through contaminated food) or through inhaling them (through soil particles in the air). Tetanus and botulism are examples of diseases caused by soil-borne microbes.


5. Lack of Access to Health Care

Another environmental factor that contributes to disease and overall poor health outcomes is living in an area with a lack of access to health care services.

According to Healthy People, “Many people face barriers that prevent or limit access to needed health care services, which may increase the risk of poor health outcomes and health disparities.” Some factors that contribute to lack of access to health care are economic instability, unreliable transportation to clinical facilities, and simple lack of education about the importance of preventive care.

Individuals who don’t have access to health care services (including pharmaceuticals as well as dental care) are at a higher risk for chronic conditions, which may include asthma, cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.


6. Infrastructure Issues

Infrastructure issues can also have a major impact on community health. Examples include the following:

  • Poorly maintained roads (increasing risk of car accidents)
  • Lack of access to clean drinking water
  • Lack of local health care infrastructure, such as clinics capable of giving vaccinations

Overcoming poor infrastructure requires the right allocation of resources from local, state, and federal governments, as well as a qualified workforce to keep infrastructure properly maintained.


7. Poor Water Quality

Very Health reports that across the world, more than 780 million people don’t have access to clean drinking water; shockingly, about a third of the world’s population lacks access to proper sanitation services (e.g., clean bathrooms). The health implications are sobering: Each day, more than 2,200 children die due to diseases caused by poor water quality.

A number of factors can contribute to poor water quality, including industrial waste and pollution, lack of access to proper water treatment and sanitation services, and outdated plumbing infrastructure.


8. Global Environmental Issues

Global environmental issues account for more than 12.6 million deaths each year, according to WHO data. Along with the issues mentioned here, these can include soil pollution, ultraviolet radiation, and biodiversity loss. According to the data, more than 100 illnesses and injuries can be directly linked to environmental health concerns. Often, these issues have the greatest impact on communities that are poor and already have significant health care vulnerabilities.


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