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Environmental Health PA Environmental & Ecology Standard: 4.3.12.A,B,C Pollutants are everywhere Atmosphere- car exhaust, cigarette smoke smokestacks Hydrosphere- sediment, toxic wastes, animal wastes Lithosphere- radioactive leaks, pesticides Biosphere- includes everything Environmental awareness Public awareness, laws, and other legislation have helped reduce or prevent pollution over the past few decades Water pollution Two most common: 1. Sediment 2. Nutrients Wash in through farmland, construction, other areas where the ground is disturbed Effluent The wastewater from factories and refineries that is released directly into urban water supplies Effluent often contains harmful by-products 1. Heated wastewater- raises temperature of the waterway killing aquatic life 2. Sewage: polluted water that contains human waste, garbage, and other household wastewater Sewage In most countries, it is treated with screens, filters, and chlorine In the US, about 80% of sewage goes through treatment plants About 10% passes through septic tanks Remaining 10% is untreated and passes directly into the Earth’s water systems Product of sewage: sediment Commonly referred to as sludge Most is dried or composted, tested, and used as fertilizers for forests and crops The chemicals that can be found in the sludge determine where it can be spread Water pollutants Most can be dangerous to health Examples: lead- causes brain damage iron & manganese- large amounts hydrogen sulfide- rotten egg smell radioactive- cancers Microbes: Very tiny pathogens, or organisms that cause disease Can be protists, bacteria, or viruses Common water-related illnesses: cholera, dysentery, malaria,cryptosporidiosis, and giardiasis Cholera Intestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae Symptoms Watery diarrhea & vomiting Dehydration & even death if not treated Preventive measures Washing/peeling fruits and vegetables Thoroughly cooking foods Prevent cross-contamination of raw foods Cholera Treated with rehydration fluids and antibiotics World Health Organization (WHO) reports a pandemic in progress, mainly in developing countries Pandemic: an outbreak of a disease that affects an exceptionally high portion of a population and occurs over a very large geographical area Dysentery Caused several types of bacteria Symptoms: Bloody diarrhea & abdominal cramps, fever In severe cases can cause seizures and kidney failure Spreads through person-to-person contact, eating and drinking contaminated foods Resistant to antibiotics is high but can be treated Malaria Parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes that breed in still water Parasite infects the liver and red blood cells Symptoms: flu-like, headache, fever, and vomiting Malaria Mainly occurs in tropical regions Causes at least one million deaths a year Cholera, dysentery, & malaria Common diseases in developing countries Very rare in developed countries like the US Cryptosporidiosis Cryptosporidium cysts enter the human body and excyst, or “hatch” The opening of the cysts allows millions of protozoa to complete their life cycles within the hosts intestines Symptoms of Cryptosporidiosis Appear 1 week after ingestion Persistent diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, weight loss, dehydration Lasts 10-14 days to 2-4 months Fatal to weakened immune systems Transmission of Cryptosporidiosis Inadequately or improperly treated drinking water Eating contaminated food or fecal-oral transmission Often found in surface water, so it must be treated with chemicals, filters, and disinfectants Also, a rapid boil for minute will destroy the cysts Giardiasis Similar to Cryptosporidiosis in its infection, transmission, symptoms, and treatment Common on PA streams Can be killed with chlorine treatment, and treated with medication Waterborne disease outbreaks in PA at an all time low Air Pollution Results from: Natural events Forest fires Dust storms Human activities Burning of fossil fuels Major source of pollution Pollutants caused from Industrial processes & motor vehicles Ozone Carbon monoxide Sulfur dioxide Nitrogen dioxide Particulate matter Ozone: O3 A form of oxygen high in the atmosphere that protects the Earth’s inhabitants from harmful solar radiation Close to the surface, it can cause respiratory problems, eye irritations, nausea Carbon monoxide: CO Colorless, odorless gas that forms from the incomplete burning of fuels Source: motor vehicles, industrial furnaces, cigarette smoke Headache, fatigue, flulike symptoms. In high concentrations, CO can cause death. Sulfur dioxide: SO2 Forms when coal containing pyrite is burned Sulfur from pyrite combines with O2 and moisture from air and creates sulfuric acid or acid precipitation. Causes difficulty in breathing, decreased lung function Nitrogen dioxide: NO2 Forms when fuel is burned. Industrial areas and high traffic areas Can lead to smog (smoke and fog) and acid precipitation. Eye irritation, stuffy nose, sore throat Issue warnings about smog Particulate matter Solid particles in the air Dust, tiny pieces of rubber from tires, asbestos from brake linings Irri tations of respiratory system Toxic substances Nearly 200 various metals and compounds Lead- cancer Mercury- brain damage, developing fetuses Allergies & Asthma Respiratory diseases caused by indoor and outdoor pollutants Allergy A reaction by the body to a foreign substance that is harmless to most other people Molds, bacteria, pollen, cigarette smoke, dust, foods, dyes Asthma A disorder of the lungs in which airways tend to constrict, resulting in episodes of breathlessness, wheezing, coughing Dust, mites, dander, pollen, air pollutants, bacteria Asthma tends to be more serious than allergies PA Air Quality Although vehicle number has increased, pollution has not due to maintenance and inspections Soil Pollutants Mainly agriculture-sediments, pesticides, fertilizers, animal wastes Landfills- can leak harmful substances Industrial processes- heavy metals Mining- AMD Radioactive waste- nuclear power plants Radioactive wastes: 2 Types 1. High-level wastes(HLW)- highly radioactive, can pose health risks for thousands of years Used nuclear fuel Govt. responsibility 2. Low-level wastes(LLW)-materials contaminated with radioactive and emit small amounts of radiation Individual state’s responsibility Indoor Air pollution Paints, cleaning products, oils, pesticides can become household hazard waste(HHW) Follow instruction on label for use and disposal Use required amount, not more Manufacturing of household products When created these products can cause a great deal of pollution Ex: bleach: chlorine gas causes upper respiratory problems Ammonia: nitrogen can pollute the air and form nitrogen dioxide.
