 The circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded  Public Health Definition of “The Environment”  All that which is external to the individual host. [It] can be divided into physical, biological, social, and cultural factors, any or all of which can influence health status in populations.

 A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

 How can environment affect our health?

 “The study of those factors in the environment that affect human health. Theses factors can be:  Physical (Noise, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, heat)  Chemical (Air pollutants, toxic wastes, pesticides,)  Biological (Disease organisms present in food and water, Insect and animal allergens)

Genetic factors Environmental factors personal behavior

 Poor environmental quality is estimated to be directly responsible for approximately 25 % of all preventable ill health in the world, with diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections heading the list

 An environmental scientist might study how water pollution is hurting fish.  An environmental health scientist would study what happens to the health of people when they catch and eat those fish.

 They work to identify environmental hazards, and prevent people from being harmed by them.  Some are scientists working in laboratories.  Some work for the government writing regulations and studying pollution

Hazards can be categorized in five types:  Chemical  Physical  Mechanical  Biological  Psychosocial

 efforts to ensure clean air and safe supplies of food and water, to manage sewage and municipal wastes, and to control or eliminate vector-borne illnesses have contributed a great deal to improvements in public health

 Air pollution and quality Water pollution and quality  Noise pollution  Waste management  Land pollution

 Presence of hazardous waste  Presence of pesticides  Occupational safety  Occurrence of accidents  Safe food  Unsafe and inadequate housing