Health and The Environment
The world wide population of people are all living and interacting with the environment. From the very air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we walk on, the food we eat, and more, there are many components which are extremely diverse, extensive and widespread. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the environmental effects on health, as “all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related behaviors.”
How does the environment affect your health?
The answer can be complex due to the many parts involved, however, ongoing research is continuously being done changing many factors as the days go on.
Are you asking yourself, why is environmental health important? Below are a few elements to consider when wanting to know about the importance of environmental health:
The Air We Breathe
Outdoors
Poor air quality is putting our health in danger. According to a report from the American Lung Association (ALA), nearly 148 million Americans live in areas where soot particles and smog have risen to unhealthy levels of pollution. In some reports, it is noted that air quality is continuing to deteriorate in our bigger cities. However, overall we have taken huge steps thru research and air pollutants as a whole have fallen 72% since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970. Many believe that a decline in air quality is in the midst in part due to climate change which is projected to impact sea levels and the severity of natural disasters causing a rise in infectious disease. The belief is that rising levels of ozone pollution are linked toward warmer weather making it harder to fight smog and soot particles.
The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared air pollution to be a carcinogen, connecting it directly to lung cancer, bladder cancer and long term damage to the entire respiratory and cardiovascular systems. A considerable amount of other studies have shown that bad air quality can trigger heart attacks. It is estimated that bad air quality has caused over 3 million premature deaths.
Indoors
Indoor vs outdoors are both the same in importance. Where as there are outdoor pollutants, your indoor environments whether it be you home, office or school can house many harmful air pollutants as well. Indoor air pollution can be caused by a wide variety of sources such as inadequate heating units, improper cleaning and sanitization of all home goods, fixtures and equipment, electrical and fire emissions and lead based paints.
Soil and Groundwater Contamination
Soil and groundwater can become contaminated and cause infectious agents or chemicals to damage your health. This can sometimes be overlooked and can be extremely harmful. It is important to monitor, protect and sanitize the water we drink as well as the surrounding soil and water.
Hazardous Waste and Toxic Substances
Each and every one of us creates waste in our homes, our work facilities, automobiles, and the list goes on. Some waste contains toxic emissions and chemicals that are extremely hazardous to all people and their environment. The exposure can be either directly or indirectly. It can be inhaled, ingested or by skin contact. Research continues to be done to understand fully how these exposures impact our health in more detail. Our bodies have the ability to tolerate and excrete certain amounts from our system but not all. The type of hazardous chemical and the length of time exposed will determine the risk.
Are you concerned about Your Environmental Health Issues?
At All American Environmental, we are a complete environmental consulting and contracting firm and deeply care about your health and the environment.
We offer a wide variety of environmental services such as:
Soil Testing
Soil & Groundwater Investigation
Site Assessment and Investigation
Site Remediation
Contact us today to learn more!
