Environment and Human

Health
 Biological Hazards
• Biological hazards from more than 1,400
pathogens that can infect humans.
– A pathogen is an organism that can cause
disease in another organism.
– Bacteria.
– Viruses.
– Parasites.
– Protozoa.
– Fungi.
We face many types of hazards
• Chemical hazards from harmful chemicals in
air, water, soil, food, and human-made products.
• Natural hazards such as fire, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, floods, and storms.
• Cultural hazards such as unsafe working
conditions, unsafe highways, criminal assault,
and poverty.
• Lifestyle choices such as smoking, making
poor food choices, drinking too much alcohol,
and having unsafe sex.
Some diseases can spread from
one person to another
• An infectious disease is caused when a
pathogen such as a bacterium, virus, or
parasite invades the body and multiplies in its
cells and tissues.
– Tuberculosis, flu, malaria, and measles.
• Bacteria are singe-cell organisms that are
found everywhere. Most are harmless or
beneficial. A bacterial disease results from
an infection as the bacteria multiply and
spread throughout the body.
Some diseases can spread from
one person to another
• Viruses are smaller than bacteria and
work by invading a cell and taking over its
genetic machinery to copy themselves.
They then multiply and spread throughout
one’s body, causing a viral disease such
as flu or AIDS
• A transmissible disease is an infectious
bacterial or viral disease that can be
transmitted from one person to another.
Some diseases can spread from
one person to another
• A nontransmissible disease is caused by
something other than a living organism and does
not spread from one person to another.
– Examples include cardiovascular (heart and blood
vessel) diseases, most cancers, asthma, and diabetes.
• In 1900, infectious disease was the leading cause of
death in the world.
• Greatly reduced by a combination of better health
care, the use of antibiotics to treat infectious
diseases caused by bacteria, and the development
of vaccines.
Ways infectious disease organisms
can enter the human body
 Infectious diseases are still
major health threats
• Infectious diseases remain as serious health threats,
especially in less-developed countries.
• Spread through air, water, food, and body fluids.
• A large-scale outbreak of an infectious disease in an
area is called an epidemic.
• A global epidemic such as tuberculosis or AIDS is called
a pandemic.
• Many disease-carrying bacteria have developed genetic
immunity to widely used antibiotics and many disease-
transmitting species of insects such as mosquitoes have
become immune to widely used pesticides that once
helped to control their populations.
 Deaths per year by the 7
deadliest infectious diseases
 Ways to prevent or reduce the
incidence of infectious diseases
CHEMICAL HAZARDS
 Some chemicals can cause cancers,
mutations, and birth defects
• A toxic chemical is one that can cause temporary or
permanent harm or death to humans and animals.
• In 2004, the EPA listed arsenic, lead, mercury, vinyl
chloride (used to make PVC plastics), and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) as the top five toxic substances in terms of
human and environmental health.
• There are three major types of potentially toxic agents.
– Carcinogens are chemicals, types of radiation, or certain viruses that
can cause or promote cancer.
– Mutagens are chemicals or forms of radiation that cause mutations,
or changes, in the DNA molecules found in cells, or that increase the
frequency of such changes.
– Teratogens are chemicals that cause harm or birth defects to a fetus
or embryo.
Some chemicals may affect our
immune and nervous systems
• Our body’s immune system protects us
against disease and harmful substances
by forming antibodies that render invading
agents harmless, but some chemicals
interfere with this process.
– Arsenic.
– Methylmercury.
– Dioxins.
Some chemicals may affect our
immune and nervous systems
• Some natural and synthetic chemicals in the
environment, called neurotoxins, can harm
the human nervous system, causing the
following effects.
– Behavioral changes.
– Learning disabilities.
– Retardation.
– Attention deficit disorder.
– Paralysis.
– Death.
Some chemicals may affect our
immune and nervous systems
• Examples of neurotoxins.
– PCBs.
– Methylmercury.
– Arsenic.
– Lead.
– Certain pesticides.
 Some chemicals may affect our
immune and nervous systems
• The EPA estimates that about 1 in 12 women of childbearing age
in the US has enough mercury in her blood to harm a developing
fetus.
– The greatest risk from exposure to low levels of methylmercury is
brain damage in fetuses and young children.
– Methylmercury may also harm the heart, kidneys, and immune
system of adults.
– EPA advised nursing mothers, pregnant women, and women who
may become pregnant not to eat shark, swordfish, king
mackerel, or tilefish and to limit their consumption of albacore
tuna.
– In 2003, the UN Environment Programme recommended
phasing out coal-burning power plants and waste incinerators
throughout the world as rapidly as possible.
– Other recommendations are to reduce or eliminate mercury in
the production of batteries, paints, and chlorine by no later than
Ways to prevent or control
inputs of mercury pollution
 Some chemicals affect the
human endocrine system
• The endocrine system is a complex
network of glands that release tiny amounts
of hormones that regulate human:
– Reproduction.
– Growth.
– Development.
– Learning ability.
– Behavior.
 Some chemicals affect the
human endocrine system
• Hormonally active agents (HAA) are synthetic
chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system
in humans and some other animals.
– Examples include aluminum, Atrazine™ and
several other herbicides, DDT, PCBs, mercury ,
phthalates, and bisphenol A (BPA).
– Some disrupt the endocrine system by attaching
to estrogen receptor molecules.
– Thyroid disrupters cause growth, weight, brain,
and behavioral disorders.
 Some chemicals affect the
human endocrine system
– BPA is found in plastic water bottles, baby bottles
and the plastic resins line food containers.
• Studies found that low levels of BPA cause numerous
problems such as brain damage, early puberty,
prostate cancer, breast cancer, and heart disease.
• Studies funded by the chemical industry found no evidence
or only weak evidence, for adverse effects from low-level
exposure to BPA in test animals.
• In 2008, the FDA concluded that BPA in food and drink
containers does not pose a health hazard.
• In 2010, Canada classified BPA as a toxic chemical and
banned its use in baby bottles, and the EU voted to ban
the sale of plastic baby bottles that contain BPA.
 Some chemicals affect the
human endocrine system
– Phthalates are found in detergents, perfumes,
cosmetics, deodorants, soaps, and shampoo,
and in PVC products such as toys, teething
rings, and medical tubing used in hospitals.
• Phthalates cause cancer and other health
problems in laboratory animals.
Potentially harmful chemicals
found in many homes
 Shampoo Teddy bear Clothing Baby bottle
Perfluorochemical Some stuffed animals Can contain Can contain
Nail polish s to add shine made overseas contain perfluorochemicals bisphenol A
Perfluorochemicals flame retardants and/or
and phthalates pesticides

Mattress
Flame
Perfume retardants in
Phthalates stuffing

Hairspray Carpet
Phthalates Padding and carpet
fibers contain flame
retardants,
Food perfluorochemicals,
Some food and pesticides
contains
bisphenol A TV
Wiring and plastic
Milk casing contain flame
Fat contains retardants
dioxins and flame
retardants
Sofa
Foam padding
Frying pan contains flame
Nonstick coating contains retardants and
perfluorochemicals perfluorochemicals

Tile floor Fruit Water bottle Computer Toys Tennis shoes

Contains Imported fruit may Can contain Flame retardant Vinyl toys Can contain
perfluorochemicals, contain pesticides bisphenol A coatings of contain phthalates
phthalates, and banned in the U. S. plastic casing and phthalates
pesticides wiring
 The greatest health risks come from
poverty, gender, and lifestyle choices
• The best ways to reduce one’s risk of premature
death and serious health problems are to:
– avoid smoking and exposure to smoke
– lose excess weight
– reduce consumption of foods containing cholesterol and
saturated fats
– eat a variety of fruits and vegetables
– exercise regularly
– drink little or no alcohol
– avoid excess sunlight
– practice safe sex
Viral diseases and parasites kill
large numbers of people
• Viruses evolve quickly, are not affected by
antibiotics, and can kill large numbers of
people.
– The biggest killer is the influenza, or flu, virus,
which is transmitted by the body fluids or airborne
emissions of an infected person.
– The second biggest viral killer is the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• HIV infects about 1.8 million people each year, and the
complications resulting from AIDS kill about 1.8 million
people annually.
Viral diseases and parasites kill
large numbers of people
– The third largest viral killer is the hepatitis B virus
(HBV), which damages the liver and kills about a
million people each year.
• Transmitted by unsafe sex, sharing of needles by drug
users, infected mothers who pass the virus to their offspring
before or during birth, and exposure to infected blood.
– Emergent diseases are illnesses that were
previously unknown or were absent in human
populations for at least 20 years.
• One is the West Nile virus, which is transmitted to humans
by the bite of a common mosquito that is infected when it
feeds on birds that carry the virus.
Viral diseases and parasites kill
large numbers of people
– Greatly reduce your chances of getting
infectious diseases by practicing good, old-
fashioned hygiene.
• Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Stay away from people who have flu or other viral
diseases.
 PCBs and other persistent toxic
chemicals can move via many pathways