2022 Environmental Health Flashcards
What is the Grasshopper Effect?
Pollutants can move across vast distances from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere by what is called the “grasshopper effect”. This means that they evaporate with warm air and return to earth with rain and snow in the colder areas of the globe.
Therefore, persistent organic pollutants released in one part of the world can, through a repeated (and often seasonal) process of evaporation and deposit, be transported through the atmosphere to regions far away from the original source. Over the course of several years, they approach the Arctic in a series of seasonal jumps.
Which organization is responsible for pesticide regulation in Canada?
Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)
What is Integrated Pest Management?
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a decision making process for managing pests effectively, economically, and environmentally.
Techniques range from the use of:
- biological
- physical
- behavioural
- chemical controls
It may include pesticides but does not rely on them (looks at alternative approaches first).
List the 6 Steps of Integrated Pest Management
The 6 Steps of Integrated Pest Management are:
- Planning and managing agricultural production systems to PREVENT insects, plant diseases and weeds from becoming pests
- IDENTIFYING pests, their natural enemies and damage
- MONITORING populations of pests and beneficial organisms, pest damage, and environmental conditions
- THRESHOLD- Making control decisions based on potential damage, cost of control methods, value of production, impact on other pests, beneficial organisms and the environment
- MANAGEMENT- Using strategies that may include a combination of behavioural, biological, chemical, cultural and mechanical methods to reduce pest populations to acceptable levels
- EVALUATING the effects and efficacy of management decisions
What is the difference between a primary and a secondary pollutant?
List one example pollutant from each category.
Primary Pollutants are emitted directly from the source (directly produced)
- Example: Vehicle exhaust emission of CO
- Other examples: Sulphur Oxides (SOx), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Particulate Matter (PM), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
Secondary Pollutants are formed from other precursor pollutants reacting in the atmopshere (result o chemical reaction)
- Example: Ozone is formed when converted by light (https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/ground-level-ozone-basics#:~:text=Tropospheric%2C%20or%20ground%20level%20ozone,volatile%20organic%20compounds%20(VOC).)
List direct and indirect effects of climate change
- Direct effects due to changes in temperature and precipitation, occurrence of heat waves, floods, droughts and fires
- Indirect effects due to ecological disruptions (e.g., crop failures, shifting patterns of disease vectors) or social responses (e.g., displacement of populations due to prolonged drought)
- Until mid-century, climate change will act mainly by exacerbating health problems that already exist and existing diseases (e.g., vector-borne infections) may extend their range into areas that are presently unaffected
- Largest risks will apply in populations that are currently most affected by climate-related diseases (e.g., under-nutrition in areas that are already food insecure such as global South or country foods in Northern Canada)
You are an MOH for your provincial health authority and are part of a working group to develop a provincial climate change strategy.
A) List two major categories of actions that you would suggest to be part of the strategy and list 4 potential actions under each category
B) Identify 4 direct and 4 indirect potential health effects from climate change
C) Identify 4 different categories of geographical areas relevant to climate change effects and provide one unique consideration for climate change planning related to each location.
A) Two major categories of action: Mitigation & Adaptation
Mitigation
- Invest in energy efficient public transportation
- Change building codes to improve energy efficiency
- Increase tax on motor vehicle fuels
- Invest in renewable energy sources
- Regulations requiring reduced vehicle emissions
Adaptation
- Improve disaster preparedness and response e.g. heat response planning
- Enhance environmental monitoring e.g. Air Quality Health Index
- Infrastructure upgrades to reduce heat island effect
- Collaboration between sectors e.g. health, animal, emergency services
- Increased disease/outcome surveillance e.g. heat-related illnesses
B) List 4 Direct and Indirecct Health Effects from climate change
Direct Health Effects
- Heat and cold-related illness and death
- Deaths and injuries from weather disasters (floods, storms)
- Psychological impacts from increased illness and deaths in families/communities
- Increased skin cancers due to increased UV exposure
Indirect
- Changes to vector-borne disease patterns
- Increased food and water borne infections due to decreased hygiene
- Malnutrition
- Injuries and illness due to overcrowding/displacement
- Increased asthma and allergies due to changes in air pollution/pollens/spores
C) Categories of geographical areas relevant to climate change effects and one unique consideration for climate change planning related to each location
- Urban - urban heat island effect
- Coastal/waterfront areas - flooding
- Rural - disruption of agriculture
- Northern - disruption of communities dependent on country food
- Communities that neighbour forested areas - wildfires
List 4 ways that climate change may directly or indirectly affect transmission of infectious diseases
- Increased flooding worsening water-borne outbreaks
- Increased food spoilage leading to food-borne outbreaks
- Longer disease transmission cycles, altering vector-borne transmission
- Faster maturation cycles for pathogens, altering vector-borne transmission
- Rodents may be displaced or may move due to changing climates, altering their disease transmission
- Displacement of people may lead to overcrowding and increased outbreaks
Besides injury and death, list 4 ways increased extreme weather events and natural disasters due to climate change affect people’s health
- Mental health effects
- Increased infectious diseases
- Food and water shortages
- Disrupted health care services
- Displaced populations
What is the urban heat island effect and what are three factors that contribute to this phenomenon?
When urban areas experience warmer temperature than nearby rural areas
- Lack of vegetative cover (less shade and less cooling of air)
- Lack of ventilation by tall buildings and narrow streets
- Dark construction materials such as ashphalt that absorb heat
- Heat generated from human activities such as driving
What are the ecological determinants of health?
Air, water, food, fuel and materials, protection from UV radiation, waste recycling and detoxification and a relatively stable and livable climate
What is the triple crisis?
- Climate disruption
- Biodiversity Loss
- Pollution
What is planetary health and how can we promote it?
Planetary health describes the health of the human species and the state of the natural systems on which it depends. It is based on the understanding that human health and human civilization depend on flourishing natural systems and the wise stewardship of those natural systems.
Ideas on ways to promote planetary health:
- include in the curriculum for all health sciences
- promote contact with nature, parks and green cities, etc.
- create planetary health officers to do this work
How can you reduce your carbon footprint? (4 categories)
- Food is 50% of our footprint, which we can reduce it by tackling food waste and shifting to plant-rich diets.
- Mobility is 25% of our footprint, and we can reduce it by finding alternatives to personal car ownership and increasing the percentage of trips by walking, cycling and public transit.
- Buildings are 15% of our footprint, and we can reduce it by lowering our housing energy needs and tackling our building and construction waste.
- Stuff is 10% of our footprint, which we can reduce by reusing and repurposing furnishings and appliances.
