1. ENVR 101: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Basic Concepts

2. What is the environment?
Not us - outside
Where we live
Attributes

3. Definitions Environmental Science:
The systematic study of the chemical, physical, and biological functioning of the environment, including as a central theme the role of Homo sapiens in this functioning

4. Definitions Environmental Health:
A subset of environmental science that specifically considers the role of environmental agents or contaminants on human health

5. The environment is useful
Provides food
Provides space
Provides other essential resources
Assimilates wastes

7. Why protect the environment?
Spaceship earth
This is all we’ve got
Since we all require food, space, essential resources, and waste assimilation from the same Earth, we, Homo sapiens, are all in relationship with each other and all other species

8. To pollute is:
To introduce into an environment any factor which decreases the beneficial uses of the environment

9. Nature's solution to pollution is dilution
Various natural processes can ameliorate the effects of pollution
Only if the concentration of the pollutant is low
Harm results only when something ‘harmful’ is present in harmful amounts

10. What determines the concentration of pollutants?
# of persons / area
TIMES
Amount of consumption / person
Amount of pollutants / amount of consumption
EQUALS
The amount of pollutants per area (concentration)

11. Concentration is a function of:
Population density
Per capita consumption
Amount of pollutants produced in producing and using consumables

12. World Population Growth 6 5
Population (billions) 4 3 2
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
Year

13. Materials Use and Population Growth
U. S. A,
3000
2500
2000
Tons
of Materials
Population
Millions of Tons or
People
1500
1000
500
1890
1910
1930
1950
1970
1990
Year

14. Consumption in the US
At the present time the US, which has about 5% of the world’s population, consumes about 30% of the world’s resources.

15. Model of Environmental Harm and Pollution Control Opportunities
Sources
of Emissions
Transport /
Transform
Fate / Effects
Mitigation / Control Policies / Technologies

16. Environmental Science considers the processes that:
Produce pollutants (sources)
Transport / transform these through the environment
Determine the fate and effects of these contaminants
May be used to control the concentration or harm of pollutants

17. Environmental Health:
Is particularly concerned with controlling the effects of environmental contaminants on human health
This requires understanding the sources, transport / transformation, and fates of particular environmental contaminants