Exam 1 Flashcards
(158 cards)
How is the environment related to human health
environment is intimately connected with human health, illness, and mortality
what percentage of the worlds deaths are caused by environmental factors
in the 1990s: 40%
in 2012: 1/4
list examples of today’s environmental health threats
- trash on beaches
- hazardous wastes leaching from disposal sites
- continuing air pollution
- exposure to toxic chemicals
- destruction of land/deforestation
- global warming
what are the goals of the Healthy People 2020
- improve environmental quality
- outdoor air quality
- water quality
- toxics and wastes
- healthy homes and healthy communities
- infrastructure and surveillance
- global environmental health
what is the AQI
Air Quality Index
- values 0-50: green - good air quality
- values 51-100: yellow- moderate air quality
- values 101-150: orange- unhealthy for sensitive groups
- values 151-200: red- unhealthy
- values: 201-300: purple - very unhealthy
- values: 301+: maroon- hazardous
What 5 major pollutants is AQI based on
O3, PM, CO, SO2, and NO2
who does poor environmental quality have the greatest impact to
people whose health status is already at risk
Who are vulnerable subgroups of the population
elderly people with disabilities and chronic disease, pregnant women, and children
children are vulnerable because their immune system is still developing and are not fully capable of responding to environmental toxins
What are the 3 P’s
Pollution
Population
Poverty
these are principal determinants of health worldwide (Dr. Warren Winkelstein)
how are the three P’s interrelated
population growth is associated with poverty, and both poverty and population growth are associated with pollution.
Pollution and population growth are often associated with adverse economic circumstances (poverty) and, therefore, are also closely connected with environmental health
Give an example of the impact of pollution
effects of fuel combustion (air pollution) on global environmental health
Combustion of fossil fuels –> dispersment of greenhouse gases into atmosphere –> global warming –> change in distribution of insect vectors —> impact on global environmental health
what is the threat of over population
overpopulation in developing nations could cause urban crowding, food shortage, malnutrition, and a series of health problems
- human population might exceed the carrying capacity of the planet
- world population might reach 10 billion during 21st century
why does poverty impact environmental health
- poverty is linked closely to population growth and it is one of the well recognized determinants of adverse health outcomes
- wealthy nations can provide better access to medical care and are capable to financing various pollution controls
What is the environmental risk transition
the change in environmental risks that happen as a consequence of economic development in the less-developed regions of the world
environmental health issues in developing countries
Factors: unclean air, dirty water, bad food, and poor medicine
Health Problems: diarrhea, acute respiratory disease, malaria, malnutrition, tuberculosis, etc.
Local and Immediate
environmental health issues in developed countries
Factors: long-term, long-range pollutants (ex: acid rain, ozone depleting chemicals, ultrafine particles, and greenhouse gas emissions)
Health Problems: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neuropsychiatric effects
Global and Delayed
What factors contribute to population growth
- increases in fertility and reductions in mortality
- current population: 8 billion
- predicted population in 2050: 10 billlion
order of predicted most populated countries in 2050: India, China, USA
What are population dynamics
Ever-changing interrelationships among variables that influence the demographic makeup of populations and variables that influence the growth and decline of population sizes
the three key factors of population dynamics
Fertility
Mortality
Migration
Increases in fertility and reductions in mortality are the primary reasons contributing to population growth
What is the total fertility rate (TFR)
- total number of children a women has given birth to by the end of her childbearing period
what is the current US fertility rate
2.0 births per women (in 2012)
what is the estimated natural population replacement rate
2.1
Countries with TFR below the replacement rate
US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, China, and European countries
Countries with TFR of 4.0 births per woman
South Asian, Latin American, and African Countries