What are the effects of environmental pollution on human health?

Environmental pollution has a cumulative effect on the health of not just humans, but every living being.

Pollution mainly is categorised as air, water, noise and land pollution.

Air pollution due to various emissions can cause breathing in of toxic pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, etc. These pollutants have varied impacts. Breathing ailments are common, nausea, headache, dizziness or skin irritations are also observed.

Water is polluted by chemicals used in industries, pharmacies and also domestically. Sewage from residential/commercial places and effluents from industries are a major cause of water pollution. Also emissions from industry cause acid rain. Ingesting polluted water can cause gastrointestinal ailments, nausea, diarrhoea. Continuously consuming polluted water with lead, arsenic can make individuals prone to cancer. Recently increasing pollution has also caused mass killing of a number of fishes.

Noise pollution by automobiles, industries, machines, etc. can reduce hearing capability. In extreme cases, it may cause permanent hearing loss.

Land pollution may impact human health mainly by consumption of food grown in polluted area.

Environmental pollution has a cumulative effect on the health of not just humans, but every living being.

Pollution mainly is categorised as air, water, noise and land pollution.

Air pollution due to various emissions can cause breathing in of toxic pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, etc. These pollutants have varied impacts. Breathing ailments are common, nausea, headache, dizziness or skin irritations are also observed.

Water is polluted by chemicals used in industries, pharmacies and also domestically. Sewage from residential/commercial places and effluents from industries are a major cause of water pollution. Also emissions from industry cause acid rain. Ingesting polluted water can cause gastrointestinal ailments, nausea, diarrhoea. Continuously consuming polluted water with lead, arsenic can make individuals prone to cancer. Recently increasing pollution has also caused mass killing of a number of fishes.

Noise pollution by automobiles, industries, machines, etc. can reduce hearing capability. In extreme cases, it may cause permanent hearing loss.

Land pollution may impact human health mainly by consumption of food grown in polluted area.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Environmental health can be defined as "the aspect of public health that is with all external conditions such as all forms o life, substances, forces, problems and challenges and any other condition in the surroundings of man that that may extent an influence on man's health and well-being". Disease in this sense represents maladjustment of the human being to his environment.

This rapid industrial growth has made water pollution, air pollution, and hazardous wastes pressing environmental problems in many areas of the developing world. Industrial emission's combine with vehicle exhausts to cause air pollution, while concentrations of heavy metals and ammonia loads are often high enough to cause major fish kills down- River from industrial areas. The lack of hazardous waste facilities compounds the problem with industrial wastes.

The physical environment has a major influence on human health not only through temperature, precipitation and composition of air and water but also through its interaction with the type and distribution of the flora and fauna (the biological environment). The biological environment is a major influence on the food supply and on the reservoirs and transmission mechanisms of, many diseases. The following gives the simplified illustration of these relationships.

The scale and nature of human activities including agricultural, industrial, and energy production, the use and management of water and wastes, urbanization, the distribution of income and assets within and between countries, the quality of health and other public services and the extent of protection of the living, working, and natural environment.

Environmental hazards to health fall into two broad categories. On the one side is the lack of accessibility to basic environmental resources like sanitation, water, fresh air, shelter and the like. On the other side is the exposure to hazardous environment. These hazards include biological agents viz., micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses and parasites which contribute to the global burden of infectious disease, chemical pollutants, ultra violet radiation and the like which cause birth defects and damage the body immunity system and which render people susceptible' to a variety of health risks.

Environmental Problem

Effect on Health

Water pollution and water scarcity

More than 2 million deaths and billions of illnesses a year attributable to pollution, poor household hygiene and added health risks caused by water scarcity.

Air pollution

Many acute and chronic health impacts excessive matter levels arc responsible for 300,00 - 70,0,000 premature deaths annually and for half of childhood chronic diseases; women and children in poor rural areas affected by smoky indoor air.

Atmospheric disasters

Possible shifts in vector-borne diseases; risks climatic natural: diseases attributable to ozone changes depletion (perhaps 300,000 additional cases of skin cancer a year worldwide; 1.7 (million cases of cataracts).

Among the environmentally-based diseases water, food and oil borne diseases affect a majority of the world population. Diarrohea, Cholera and Hepahtis A and E have the clearest link to the environment and spread by both bacteria and virus. According to a WHO study, Diarrohea deaths were around 2.5 million in 1996. Around 4 billion cases of diarrohea cause widespread debilitations each year.

The nuclear development and use, the world over is a major threat to human health today. The radiation hazard arising from Extra Low Frequency (ELF) magnetic fields of between one and one hundred hertz (HZ) as well as the very High frequency fields of 147 MHZ, which can alter the outflow of calcium ions from the brain tissue of children, in particular with steadily weakening resistance causes tumour formation in the human body.

Health is a fundamental resource to individual and community and is a pre-requisite for their social, spiritual and physicalwell-being, the protection and preservation of which is dependent on the ecological status i of the environment and sustainable development.

Pollution, as one says, “ IF YOU DONT KILL IT, IT WILL KILL YOU”. Directly or indirectly, we are deteriorating our health gradually by ourself by the means of pollution. There is Air pollution which is caused due to the harmful gases and particles released to the environment from the industries, vehicles, etc. These gases when inhaled along with oxygen, leads to respiratory disorders, asthma, skin problem etc. Many of them are carcinogenic ie. Cancer causing. Moreover, many gases like carbon dioxide , CFCs etc are green house gases that are responsible for the global warming. Global warming leads to melting of ice in the arctic zone that leads to rise in the level of sea water, that indirectly affects the people residing in the coastal areas. These gases also goes ito the atmosphere and depletes the ozone layer that protects the earth from harmful UV radiations. Next important type of pollution is Water pollution, which has become a major point of concern now a days. It is caused by the harmful effluents from industries such as chemical ind., pesticides industries, cracker industries, etc.; batteries and e-wastes in the dumping grounds; plastic wastes, etc. The harmful chemicals either enters the food chain through the aquatic flora and fauna or retains in the soil in the form of heavy meatals which affects the fertility of the soils. This also leads to bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the plants and animals (humans as well). Plastic has played a major role in the water pollution which is affecting the acquatic system a lot. Third type of pollution is noise pollution. Noise level higher than 80 decibel may affect the ear drum of a human being. Noise pollution is caused from the busy roads, industrial areas etc. One never notice but even the birds and animals too gets affected by the noise pollution. Hope this will help you. Have a great day