Environmental Health

Why we should care for the Environment? The environment is something that we all are very familiar with. It is everything that surrounds us and affects our lives on earth. If we don’t start caring for our environment, we start to see decline in our health and daily lives.

Poor Care for the Environmental Health Can Effect: Water Quality Food Quality Air Quality Energy Sources Populations

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Limit the amount of waste in the community Reduce Buy products with less packaging Turn off water while brushing teeth Turn off lights when leaving a room Reuse Use cloth sacks at stores instead of paper or plastic Take reusable plastic containers at lunch instead of plastic bags Recycle Place plastic items, aluminum cans , and paper products in recycle bins

Outdoor Air Quality Reasons for Poor Air Quality: Fine particles produced by burning fossil fuels Ground-level ozone (a reactive form of oxygen and a primary component of urban smog) Tobacco smoke Reduce Fisk for Poor Air Quality: Carpool or bike/walk to work Avoid being outside around heavy traffic areas Avoid secondhand smoke

Water Quality Concern for water applies to both drinking water and recreational waters Reasons for poor water quality: Water supply contact with hazardous substance or material Rainfall may cause polluted landscapes to dissolve chemicals into surrounding water Companies that produce large amount of chemical/hazardous waste Reduce risk for poor water quality: Conserve your water usage Use eco-friendly cleaning chemicals Dispose of non-recyclables properly

Energy & Fuel Resources Using electrical energy and burning fossil fuels are causing an increase in the greenhouse effect and releasing more pollutants in the air. Renewable electricity sources, such as solar, geothermal, and wind energy, help limit the amount of pollution

Ways to Save the Environment Take shorter showers Bike, walk, or take public transportation Limit food waste and start compost piles Stop drinking out of disposable water bottles Turn off lights, computers, fans, televisions when not in uses Use LED light bulbs Hang clothes out to dry instead of using a dryer

Resources: www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/environmental-health www.niehs.nih.gov/ For more information contact: National Institute of Environmental Health Science webcenter@niehs.nih.gov. Presentation by: Megan Steinkamp