ENVR430: Health Effects of Environmental Agents Course director, L.M. Ball Office Rosenau 158 Where: McGavran-Greenberg When: Monday Wednesday Friday, 1 to 1:50 pm Why:

ASPH Competencies I. Discipline-specific Competencies: Environmental Health Sciences Describe the direct and indirect human, ecological and safety effects of major environmental and occupational agents Describe genetic, physiologic and psychosocial factors that affect susceptibility to adverse health outcomes following exposure to environmental hazards. Describe federal and state regulatory programs, guidelines and authorities that control environmental health issues Specify current environmental risk assessment methods. Specify approaches for assessing, preventing and controlling environmental hazards that pose risks to human health and safety. Explain the general mechanisms of toxicity in eliciting a toxic response to various environmental exposures. Discuss various risk management and risk communication approaches in relation to issues of environmental justice and equity. Develop a testable model of environmental insult.

Environmental Health Environmental Health comprises those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by interactions with physical, chemical, biological and social factors in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling and preventing those factors in the environment that may adversely affect the health of present and future generations. Pew Environmental Health Commission

Environmental Agents Microbial Chemical Physical

Textbooks

Review

Physical Hazards Heat Cold Trauma Radiation –Ionizing radiation (radioactivity) –Non-ionizing radiation X-rays UV Infrared Microwave Radio Electromagnetic

Chemicals “Naturally-Occurring” “Anthropogenic”

Naturally-Occurring Chemicals Microbial toxins Bacterial toxins ( Often complex polypeptides) Botulinus toxin (Clostridium botulinum ) Shigatoxin (Shigella dysenteriae ) Fungal toxins (mycotoxins) Ergot alkaloids (Claviceps purpurea) Aflatoxins (Aspergillus spps)

Plant Constituents Alkaloids –Atropine –Solanine Pigments Methane Terpenes Urushiol Atropine

Animal Constituents Alkaloids Snake venom Ciguatoxin

Combustion Products Gases Hydrocarbons Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Phenanthrene Benzanthracene Benzo[a]pyrene

Minerals Dust (e.g. Ca, Al, Si) Leaching into groundwater –Selenium –Arsenic

Anthropogenic Chemicals Inadvertent introduction Deliberate use Service station near Wallace, NC After Hurricane Floyd, Sept 15, 1999

Inadvertent introduction Industrial by- products Insulators Effluents Wastes Spills Improper disposal Apex Fire, Oct 2006

Industrial solvents Aromatic hydrocarbons Chlorinated hydrocarbons

Drinking water disinfection by-products Trihalomethanes –Chloroform CHCl 3 –Bromodiloromethane CHBrCl 2 –Dibromochloromethane CHBr 2 Cl –Bromoform CHBr 3 Haloacetic acids –Trichloroacetic acid CCl 3 -COOH –Dichloroacetic acid CHCl 2 -COOH –Dichlorobromoacetic acid CCl 2 Br-COOH –Dibromoacetic acid CHBr 2 -COOH –Dibromochloroacetic acid CBr 2 Cl-COOH –Tribromoacetic acid CBr 3 -COOH

Combustion products Gases: CO, CO 2, O 3, peroxyacyl nitrates, nitrogen oxides (NOX: N 2 O, NO, NO 2 ), sulfur oxides (SOX: SO 2, SO 3 ) Particulate matter (PM) Hydrocarbons Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Deliberate use Pesticides Fertilizers Food additives Plasticizers Pharmaceuticals Waste disposal

Insecticides Chlorinated hydrocarbons Organophosphates Carbamates

Herbicides Broad-spectrum Broad-leaf Grassy-leaf

Fertilizers Nitrates Phosphates

Food additives Anti-oxidants Anti-microbials Sweeteners Other flavoring agents Coloring agents Humectants Anti-caking agents

Plasticizers Bisphenol A

VIRUS 0.1 μm (100 nm) BACTERIUM 1 x 2 μm PROTOZOAN 5 μm NANOPARTICLE <100 nm Red blood cell