Health Envir

7/27/2019 Health Envir

1/88

Environmental health


2/88

Environmental hazards are

responsible for as much as a

quarter of the total burden of

disease world-wide, and morethan one-third of the burden

among children.


3/88

Heading that list are diarrhoea,lower respiratory infections,

various forms of unintentionalinjuries and malaria.


4/88

The disease burden is much

higher in the developing world,although in the case of certain

non-communicable diseases,such as cardiovascular diseases

and cancers, the per capita

disease burden is larger in

developed countries.


5/88

Health impacts of environmentalhazards run across more than 80

diseases and types of injury.

Well-targeted interventions can

prevent much of this

environmental risk.


6/88

Worldwide, as many as 13million deaths could be

prevented every year by making

our environments healthier.


7/88

Environmental health addresses all

the physical, chemical, and

biological factors external to aperson, and all the related factors

impacting behaviours.


8/88

It encompasses the assessment and

control of those environmentalfactors that can potentially affect

health.

It is targeted towards preventing

disease and creating health-supportive environments.


9/88

This definition excludes

behaviour not related to

environment, as well as

behaviour related to the social

and cultural environment, andgenetics.


10/88

Indoor air pollution and health

Fact sheet N292

September 2011


11/88

Around 3 billion people cook and

heat their homes using open firesand leaky stoves burning biomass(wood, animal dung and crop waste)

and coal.

Nearly 2 million people die

prematurely from illness attributableto indoor air pollution fromhousehold solid fuel use.


12/88

Nearly 50% of pneumonia deaths

among children under five are

due to particulate matter inhaled

from indoor air pollution.


13/88

More than 1 million people a year

die from chronic obstructiverespiratory disease (COPD) that

develop due to exposure to such

indoor air pollution.

Both women and men exposed toheavy indoor smoke are 2-3 times

more likely to develop COPD.


14/88

IONIZING RADIATION, HEALTH EFFECTSAND PROTECTIVE MEASURES


15/88

Ionizing radiation is a type of

energy released by atoms in theform of electromagnetic

waves or particles.

People are exposed on a daily basis

to natural sources of ionizingradiation, as well as human-made

ionizing radiation sources.


16/88

Ionizing radiation has many

beneficial applications, includinguses in medicine, industry,

agriculture and research. As the use

of ionizing radiation increases, so

does the potential for health

hazards if not properly used orcontained.


17/88

Acute health effects such as skinburns or acute radiation syndrome

can occur when radiation doses

exceed certain levels. Low doses ofionizing radiation can increase the

risk of longer term effects such ascancer.


18/88

Air quality and healthFact sheet N313

Updated September 2011


19/88

Air pollution is a majorenvironmental risk to health.

By reducing air pollution levels, we

can help countries reduce the global

burden of disease from respiratoryinfections, heart disease, and lung

cancer.


20/88

The lower the levels of air pollution in acity, the better respiratory (both long-

and short-term), and cardiovascular

health of the population will be.

Indoor air pollution is estimated to

cause approximately 2 million

premature deaths mostly in developing

countries.


21/88

Almost half of these deaths are due topneumonia in children under 5 years ofage.

Urban outdoor air pollution isestimated to cause 1.3 million deathsworldwide per year.

Those living in middle-income countriesdisproportionately experience this

burden.


22/88

Exposure to air pollutants is largely beyondthe control of individuals and requires action

by public authorities at the national, regional

and even international levels

The WHO Air quality guidelines represent the

most widely agreed and up-to-date

assessment of health effects of air pollution,

recommending targets for air quality at whichthe health risks are significantly reduced.


23/88

The Guidelines indicate that byreducing particulate matter (PM10)

pollution from 70 to 20 micrograms

per cubic metre, we can cut airquality related deaths by around

15%.


24/88

Electromagnetic fields and

public health: mobile phonesFact sheet N193June 2011


25/88

Mobile phone use is ubiquitous with

an estimated 4.6 billionsubscriptions globally.

The electromagnetic fields produced

by mobile phones are classified by

the International Agency forResearch on Cancer as possibly

carcinogenic to humans.


26/88

Studies are ongoing to more fully

assess potential long-termeffects of mobile phone use.

WHO will conduct a formal risk

assessment of all studied healthoutcomes from radiofrequency

fields exposure by 2012.


27/88

Environmental andoccupational cancersFact sheet N350

March 2011


28/88

Cancer is a leading cause of death

worldwide, with 12.7 million newcases and 7.6 million deaths in 2008.

Globally, 19% of all cancers are

attributable to the environment,

including work setting resulting in1.3 million deaths each year.


29/88

WHO has classified 107 agents,

mixtures, and exposure situations ascarcinogenic to humans.

External environmental causes of cancerare factors in the environment that

increase risk of cancer such as air

pollution, UV radiation and indoorradon.


30/88

Every tenth lung cancer death isclosely related to risks in the

workplace.

Lung cancer, mesothelioma, and

bladder cancer are among the mostcommon types of occupational

cancers.


31/88

Asbestos: elimination of

asbestos-related diseasesFact sheet N343July 2010


32/88

About 125 million people in the world

are exposed to asbestos at theworkplace.

According to WHO estimates, more than107 000 people die each year from

asbestos-related lung cancer,

mesothelioma and asbestosis resultingfrom occupational exposure.


33/88

Dioxins and their effects on

human healthFact sheet N225May 2010


34/88

Dioxins are a group of chemically-related

compounds that are persistentenvironmental pollutants.

Dioxins are found throughout the worldin the environment and they accumulate

in the food chain, mainly in the fatty

tissue of animals.


35/88

More than 90% of human exposure isthrough food, mainly meat and dairy

products, fish and shellfish.

Many national authorities have

programmes in place to monitor the

food supply.


36/88

Dioxins are highly toxic and cancause reproductive and

developmental problems, damage

the immune system, interfere withhormones and also cause cancer.


37/88

Due to the omnipresence of dioxins, all

people have background exposure,which is not expected to affect human

health.

However, due to the highly toxic

potential of this class of compounds,

efforts need to be undertaken to reducecurrent background exposure.


38/88

Prevention or reduction of humanexposure is best done via source-

directed measures, i.e. strict control

of industrial processes to reduceformation of dioxins as much as

possible.


39/88

Sunbeds, tanning and UV

exposureFact sheet N287Interim revision April 2010

The key reasons why regulations are


40/88

The key reasons why regulations are

necessary

Increase in the number of unsupervised

commercial sunbeds - Without trained staff

and adequate health care advice, the

potential for harm to the uninformed

consumer is much greater. This, combined

with competitive pricing strategies such as

unlimited sessions within a specific timeframe, increases the likelihood of skin

damage.


41/88

High intensity of UV output - Some machines

have the capacity to emit very high levels of

UV, many times stronger than the midday

summer sun in most countries.

In a largely unregulated industry where

training of staff is not mandatory, this

increases the health risks considerably.


42/88

Exposure time and intervals between tanning

sessions - Reasonable sunbed use includes

keeping to recommended exposure times

(which depends on the type of machine used)

and having sufficiently long breaks between

tanning sessions.

Normally at least 48 hours are needed

between tanning sessions for repair of UV-induced DNA damage in skin cells


43/88

Eyewear - UV protective eyewear (such as

goggles) must be worn during tanning

sessions to protect the eyes.

Effect of certain drugs and cosmetics - Some

drugs, for example anti-depressants,

antibiotics, psoralens, antifungals, and

antidiabetics as well as some cosmetics make

the skin more photosensitive and thereforedecrease the time it takes for the skin to

burn.


44/88

The size of the skin area exposed - Modern

clam-type sunbeds and canopies can expose

more skin area to UV than outdoor situations,

therefore increasing the health risk.

Here young people, , are more sensitive to

UV-induced damage from this "all-over"

tanning.


45/88

Climate change and healthFact sheet N266

January 2010


46/88

Climate change affects the fundamental

requirements for health clean air, safedrinking water, sufficient food and

secure shelter.

The global warming that has occurred

since the 1970s was causing over 140

000 excess deaths annually by the year2004.


47/88

Many of the major killers such asdiarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition,

malaria and dengue are highly

climate-sensitive and are expectedto worsen as the climate changes.


48/88

Areas with weak health infrastructure

mostly in developing countries will be the

least able to cope without assistance to

prepare and respond.

Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases

through better transport, food and energy-

use choices can result in improved health.


49/88

Radon and cancerFact sheet N291Updated September 2009


50/88

Radon is the second most important

cause of lung cancer in many countries.

Radon is estimated to cause between 3%

and 14% of all lung cancers, dependingon the average radon level in a country.


51/88

Radon is much more likely to causelung cancer in people who smoke,

and is the primary cause of lung

cancer among non-smokers.


52/88

Radon-induced lung cancers are mainlycaused by low and moderate rather than

by high radon concentrations, because

of the large number of people exposedto indoor radon in homes with such low

concentrations.


53/88

The lower the radon concentration

in a home, the lower the risk as

there is no known threshold belowwhich radon exposures carries no

risk.


54/88

Waste from health-care activitiesFact sheet N253

November 2011


55/88

Of the total amount of waste generatedby health-care activities, about 80% is

general waste.

The remaining 20% is considered

hazardous material that may be

infectious, toxic or radioactive.


56/88

Every year an estimated 16 000million injections are administered

worldwide, but not all of the

needles and syringes are properlydisposed of afterwards.


57/88

Health-care waste contains

potentially harmful microorganisms

which can infect hospital patients,health-care workers and the general

public.


58/88

Ultraviolet radiation and human healthFact sheet N 305

December 2009


59/88

Skin cancer is caused primarily byexposure to ultraviolet (UV)

radiation either from the sun or

from artificial sources such assunbeds.


60/88

Globally in 2000, over 200 000 cases of

melanoma were diagnosed and there

were 65 000 melanoma-associated

deaths.

Excessive sun exposure in children and

adolescents is likely to contribute to skin

cancer in later life.


61/88

Worldwide approximately 18 million

people are blind as a result of cataracts,

of these 5% of all cataract related

disease burden is directly attributable to

UV radiation exposure.

Sun protection is recommended when

the ultraviolet index is 3 and above.


62/88

Electromagnetic fields and public health

Base stations and wireless technologiesFact sheet N304

May 2006


63/88

Mobile telephony is now commonplacearound the world.

This wireless technology relies upon anextensive network of fixed antennas, or

base stations, relaying information with

radiofrequency (RF) signals.


64/88

Over 1.4 million base stations existworldwide and the number is

increasing significantly with the

introduction of third generationtechnology.


65/88

Other wireless networks that allow high-speed internet access and services, such

as wireless local area networks (WLANs),

are also increasingly common in homes,offices, and many public areas (airports,

schools, residential and urban areas).


66/88

As the number of base stations andlocal wireless networks increases, so

does the RF exposure of the

population.


67/88

Recent surveys have shown that the RFexposures from base stations range from

0.002% to 2% of the levels of

international exposure guidelines,depending on a variety of factors such as

the proximity to the antenna and the

surrounding environment.


68/88

This is lower or comparable to RF

exposures from radio or television

broadcast transmitters.


69/88

Health effects of the Chernobyl accident:

an overviewFact sheet N 303

April 2006

Background


70/88

On 26 April 1986, explosions at reactor

number four of the nuclear power plant at

Chernobyl in Ukraine, a Republic of theformer Soviet Union at that time, led to huge

releases of radioactive materials into the

atmosphere. These materials were depositedmainly over countries in Europe, but

especially over large areas of Belarus, the

Russian Federation and Ukraine.


71/88

Electromagnetic fields and public healthStatic electric and magnetic fieldsFact sheet N299March 2006


72/88

Technologies using static fields are

increasingly being exploited in selected

industries, such as medicine with magneticresonance imaging (MRI), transportation

systems that use direct current (DC) or static

magnetic fields and high-energy physicsresearch facilities. As the field strength of the

static field increases, so does the potential for

a variety of interactions with the body.


73/88

The International EMF Project of the World

Health Organization (WHO) has recently

reviewed the health implications of highstatic field exposure and highlighted the

importance of public health protection for

medical staff and patients (particularlychildren and pregnant women) and workers

in industries producing high field magnets

(Environmental Health Criteria, 2006).


74/88

Electromagnetic fields and public health

Electromagnetic hypersensitivityFact sheet N296 December 2005


75/88

As societies industrialize and the

technological revolution continues,

there has been an unprecedentedincrease in the number and diversity

of electromagnetic field (EMF)

sources.


76/88

These sources include video displayunits (VDUs) associated with

computers, mobile phones and their

base stations. While these deviceshave made our life richer, safer and

easier, they have been accompanied

by concerns about possible health

risks due to their EMF emissions.

For some time a number of individuals have

d f h l h bl h


77/88

reported a variety of health problems that

they relate to exposure to EMF. While some

individuals report mild symptoms and reactby avoiding the fields as best they can, others

are so severely affected that they cease work

and change their entire lifestyle. This reputedsensitivity to EMF has been generally termed

electromagnetic hypersensitivity or EHS.


78/88

LegionellosisFact sheet N285

History and overview


79/88

Legionellosis is a serious and sometimes fatal

form of pneumonia. It is caused by the

bacterium Legionella pneumophila and other

legionella species. These bacteria are found

naturally in the environment and thrive inwarm water and warm damp places. They are

commonly found in lakes, rivers, creeks, hot

springs and other bodies of water. They canalso be found in soil and potting mix.


80/88

The bacterium Legionella pneumophila was

first identified in 1977, as the cause of an

outbreak of severe pneumonia in aconvention centre in the USA in 1976. It has

since been associated with outbreaks linked

to poorly maintained artificial water systems,particularly cooling towers or evaporative

condensers associated with air conditioning

and industrial cooling, hot and cold watersystems in public and private buildings, and

whirlpool spas.


81/88

Health-care waste managementTo reduce the burden of disease, health-

care waste needs sound management,

including alternatives to incinerationFact sheet N281October 2011


82/88

In the last few years there has been growing

controversy over the incineration of health-

care waste. Under some circumstances,including when wastes are incinerated at low

temperatures or when plastics that contain

polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are incinerated,dioxins and furans and other toxic air

pollutants may be produced as emissions

and/or in bottom or fly ash (ash that iscarried by air and exhaust gases up the

incinerator stack).


83/88

Exposure to dioxins, furans and

co-planar PCBs may lead to

adverse health effects.


84/88

Depleted uraniumFact sheet N257Revised January 2003


85/88

Metallic uranium (U) is a silver-white,

lustrous, dense, weakly radioactive

element.

It is ubiquitous throughout the naturalenvironment, and is found in varying but

small amounts in rocks, soils, water, air,

plants, animals and in all human beings.


86/88

Natural uranium consists of amixture of three radioactive

isotopes which are identified by the

mass numbers 238U (99.27% bymass), 235U (0.72%) and 234U

(0.0054%).


87/88

On average, approximately 90 g(micrograms) of uranium exists in

the human body from normal

intakes of water, food and air. About66% is found in the skeleton, 16% in

the liver, 8% in the kidneys and 10%

in other tissues.


88/88

Uranium is used primarily in nuclear

power plants. However, most

reactors require uranium in whichthe 235U content is enriched from

0.72% to about 1.5-3%.

Health Envir

Documents

Transcript of Health Envir