NURS 3335 DQ environmental and occupational health human factors

NURS 3335 DQ environmental and occupational health human factors

NURS 3335 DQ environmental and occupational health human factors

From the quality of the air you breathe to the condition of the roads you drive on, environmental factors can have a major influence on your health. What’s more, these factors have evolved considerably over time, due to both natural and human-caused events.

Professionals in the environmental health field examine how people interact with the world around them, chronicling the many ways that these interactions can impact physical fitness, vulnerability to disease, and other aspects of human wellness.

In this article, we will explore eight key environmental factors that affect health:

1. Chemical safety
2. Air pollution
3. Climate change and natural disasters
4. Diseases caused by microbes
5. Lack of access to health care
6. Infrastructure issues
7. Poor water quality
8. Global environmental issues

Why Is Environmental Health Important?

Through strategic efforts to improve environmental health, public health professionals can enhance personal wellness for individuals, families, and communities.

The Benefits of Optimizing Environmental Health

Maintaining a healthy environment is essential for helping people live longer and for enhancing their quality of life. Consider a sobering statistic from Healthy People, which notes that 23% of all deaths (and 26% of deaths among children ages 5 and younger) result from entirely preventable environmental health problems.

By optimizing environmental health, communities can reduce exposure to disease, as well as to pollutants that have a toxic effect on the body. The benefits of environmental health interventions can improve life for everyone, but may have the most pronounced effect among those who are already in vulnerable health. As Healthy People points out, “Poor environmental quality has its greatest impact on people whose health status is already at risk.”

How Environmental Factors Can Impact Personal Health

Environmental health advocacy is a top priority in the public health field, as environmental factors continue to adversely affect individual and population health.

For example, consider the looming threat of climate change. Environmental health researchers say that climate change may result in changed disease patterns, making communities susceptible to different illnesses. Additionally, climate change has been linked to an uptick in floods, wildfires, and superstorms, all of which can play profound roles in harming human health.

Poor industrial hygiene is another example of how environmental factors can impact wellness. As Verywell Health notes, “Many of the materials needed to advance industries and technology, like heavy metals or even some plastics, can also hurt the human body and even lead to serious medical conditions.” In other words, industries that are irresponsible with manufacturing and waste disposal may be poisoning the natural world, impacting our physical well-being.

Environmental Health as a Community Health Concern

Environmental health isn’t just a matter of individual wellness; it’s also a matter of community well-being. Simply put, the conditions in and around our homes, schools, playgrounds, and workplaces can have a major impact on our families and neighbors.

For example, factors such as pollution and litter can make residents less inclined to go outside for exercise and recreation, potentially making the entire community more prone to disease.

Aspects of the built environment, such as infrastructure, can also impact community health. For instance, areas with poorly maintained roads have higher risks of car accidents that result in injuries, and inadequate sanitation infrastructure can increase the prevalence of disease in local populations.

Environmental Health Resources

To find out more about the importance of environmental health, take a look at the following resources:

• World Health Organization, Environmental Health — An overview of some of the issues that relate to environmental health.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health — A range of resources related to environmental health.