1. Introduction to Environmental Health
Lecture 1

2. Why it is important for Public Health?

4. According to WHO… The determinants of health include:
the social and economic environment,
the physical environment, and
the person’s individual characteristics and behaviours.

5. Physical environment Safe water and clean air Healthy workplaces
Safe houses, communities and roads
Employment and working conditions
(WHO)

6. Continue
Exposure to hazardous substances in the air, water, soil, and food
Natural and technological disasters
Physical hazards
Nutritional deficiencies
The built environment

7. Let’s Start!!

8. Environment
“Environment is sum total of water, air and land interrelationships among themselves and also with the human being, other living organisms and property”
It includes all the physical and biological surrounding and their interactions

9. The Four Spheres of Earth!

10. The Four Spheres
Atmosphere: It is basically mixture of gases and water vapours. Temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall and other meteorological factors are its part
Hydrosphere: It covers 70% of earth’s surface. 97% ocean and 3% fresh water

11. The Four Spheres
Lithosphere: It is the outer solid part of earth including crust and uppermost mantle
Biosphere: It is sum of all ecosystem.

12. Environmental Health
Environmental health addresses all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and
All the related factors impacting behaviors.
It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health (WHO, 2015)

13. Important Definitions
Ecosystem: An ecosystem is the ecological unit consisting of biotic factors (living) and abiotic factors (non-living) in a specific area
Balanced Ecosystem: It is defined as a fixed relative proportion of all living things on earth For example, plants should be more than animals

14. Contributors to EH Chemical
−Air polluants, toxic wastes, pesticides, VOCs
Biologic
−Disease organisms present in food and water
−Insect and animal allergens
Physical
−Noise, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation
Socioeconomic
−Access to safe and sufficient health care

15. Environmental Health-Factsheet
It is estimated that 25% of the global disease burden and 23% of all deaths can be attributed to environmental factors
About 36% of this burden affects children from 0 to 14 years of age
For 2008, the number of premature deaths attributable to urban outdoor air pollution is estimated to amount to 1.34 million worldwide

16. Environmental Health It helps to understand:
Conservation of nature and natural resources.
Conservation of biological diversity
Control of environmental pollution
Stabilization of human population and environment
Social issues in relation to development and environment

17. Time
Host
Environment
Agent

18. Branches of Environmental Health

19. Branches Environmental Toxicology:
It is also known as “Entox”. It is concerned with understanding the adverse effects of chemicals, physical, and biological agents on living organisms

20. Features Environmental Engineering:
It is concerned with protecting people from the effects of adverse environment, such as pollution. Environmental engineers work to improve recycling, waste disposal, public health aspects, and water & air pollution

21. Features Environmental Epidemiology:
It is concerned with the discovery of the environmental exposures that contribute to or protect against injuries, illnesses, developmental conditions, disabilities, and deaths. It collects data for factors that can affect incidence and prevalence of diseases

22. First Session Ends!

23. Earth Summit (Rio Declaration 1992)
It defines the rights and responsibilities of the people to be involved in protecting their environment
People are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature
Environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process

24. Earth Summit Rio+10
Second earth summit took place in 2002 (Johannesburg)
New agreements were developed among signatory countries to achieve “Millennium Development Goals”
Problems of erosion, landslide, draining of lakes, poverty were discussed

25. What is koyoto protocol?

26. Environmental Health-Pakistan
Pollution
Population Explosion
Climate change & Global warming
Natural disasters
Deforestation
.....

27. Ecological Drift in Pakistan
The growth in traffic and dirty fuel has adverse effect on health
In Pakistan Sulphur in diesel and furnace oil is1& 3 percent respectively as compared to and percent in other countries
In Pakistan lead in gasoline is 0.35gm/lit while in other countries in the region it is 0.15gm/lit

28. Ecological Drift in Pakistan
Blood lead levels for children in Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar are 36.9, and 19 micro gm/dl while the acceptable value is 15 micro gm/dl
High lead levels may lead to stunted growth and mental retardation
Suspended particular matter level is also high in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Peshawar

29. WHO-2013

30. Pakistan Regional Plan-WHO
Pakistan is in Group 1, along with Afghanistan, Djibouti, occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen
Group 1 countries are the least developed in terms of the water supply and sanitation, and need major efforts to improve the sanitation

31. Pakistan Regional Plan-WHO
Group 1 countries have identified five priorities for protecting the environment:
Drinking water quality (including increased access to water and sanitation)
Solid waste (including hazardous wastes, such as health care waste)

32. Pakistan Regional Plan
Domestic combustion of biomass (indoor air pollution)
Food safety
Vector control

33. Identify any one Environmental Health issue in Pakistan from WHO regional plan and write a comprehensive note by taking data from WHO and world bank.