Enviroment And Health

How Our Environment Shapes Public Health:

The local environment can also be a source of harmful substances, such as air pollution, noise, and hazardous chemicals, which have a detrimental effect on health. The health of the EU population is also being adversely affected by climate change, which is manifested in heat waves, floods, and changes in the spread of vectors. In a broader sense, climate change, biodiversity loss, and soil degradation can also have an impact on human well-being through threats to ecosystem services such as access to drinking water and food production.

The Vital Role of a Healthy Environment:

Human health and well-being are closely linked to the state of the environment. A good quality natural environment provides basic needs: clean air and water, fertile land for food production, and energy and raw materials for production. Green infrastructure also serves to regulate the climate and prevent floods. Access to green areas and waters offers important opportunities for recreation and also contributes to well-being.

However, the environment is also an important medium for human exposure to polluted air, noise, and hazardous chemicals. The World Health Organization (WHO) report, Preventing Diseases by Creating a Healthy Environment, estimates that environmental hazards are responsible for 12 to 18% of deaths in 53 countries in the WHO European Region.

Environmental Hazards and Human Exposure:

In Europe, air pollution causes the highest environmental health risk by triggering heart attacks, strokes, lung disease, and lung cancer. More than 400,000 people die prematurely each year in the EU because polluted air damages their health.Exposure to noise from transport sources and industrial activity can cause annoyance, sleep disturbance, and thus an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Through polluted air and water, consumer goods, and food, people are exposed to a wide range of chemicals in their daily lives. Due to their properties, certain hazardous chemicals persist in the environment and bioaccumulate in the food chain, which means that it takes a long time for emissions to decrease before exposure decreases.

In addition, the amount and range of chemicals in use today, as well as the steady increase in chemical production, suggest that human and environmental exposure will continue to increase in the future. This raises concerns about the health effects of mixtures of chemicals throughout our lives, especially in vulnerable life stages.

Chemical Exposure and Long-Term Health Risks:

The effects of climate change also pose a direct threat to health through heat waves and changes in infectious diseases and allergen patterns.

The quality of bathing water is generally outstanding in the EU, as an investment in the sewerage system, better wastewater treatment, and a reduction in pollution from farms are also steadily improving.

Historically, many cultures have recognized the interconnectedness between humans and nature. However, in the “developed” world, a prevailing attitude of domination and exploitation of nature persisted until the early 1960s. During this period, human activities such as mining, logging, construction, and agriculture began to have far-reaching consequences, affecting both local and global environments.

These actions led to deforestation, pollution, and climate change, which in turn impacted human health, food security, and access to clean water. Recognizing the interconnectedness of environmental and human well-being is crucial. Addressing environmental issues requires a commitment to human rights, equality, and shared responsibility, ensuring that all individuals have the right to a healthy environment and a sustainable future.

Climate Change and Public Health:

We inhale many pollutants when we breathe air—tiny particles from vehicle exhaust, smoke pouring out of industrial chimneys, fumes from burning fuels in homes, and cigarette smoke all degrade air quality.Contaminants include ground-level ozone and microorganisms that favor the humid environment. exposure to various suspended particles reduces people’s life expectancy by an average of almost a year. Deteriorating air quality violates the right to life and the highest possible level of physical and mental health.

Sea level changes. Rising sea levels are leading to the swamping of some smaller, low-lying island nations and millions of people in all low-lying areas are at risk of flooding. Saltwater will affect low-lying agricultural areas. This is already being felt in many parts of the world, especially in the islands of the Southeast Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Extreme weather. Floods, droughts, and storms will be more frequent and severe.

Extinction. When the global temperature rises to reach 2 ° C, it is estimated that 30% of terrestrial species will be on the brink of extinction. X. _

Lack of food. With rising temperatures and changes in rainfall distribution, yields are expected to fall sharply in Africa, the Middle East, and India.

Lack of water. Changes in rainfall distribution result in droughts and floods. The available water supply will be smaller.

Diseases. As temperatures rise, certain diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, dengue fever, and river blindness also appear in new areas.

Destruction of endangered areas. Damaged areas, such as overgrazed meadows, deforested mountain slopes, and cleared agricultural land, will be more exposed to the effects of climate change than before. XI. Environmental (ecological) refugees. As a combined effect of climate change and other environmental problems, more and more people are being forced to migrate or seek refuge from changes in their environment.

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