Environment Hazards and Health Effects
The health effects of air pollution and water contamination have been linked with environmental hazards. Toxic chemicals are one of the greatest environmental hazards to cause adverse health effects in humans. Exposure to toxic chemicals can be caused by contaminated food, air, water or soil. Some of the common chemicals linked to negative health outcomes are asbestos, lead and mercury.
Affective Health Outcomes
Toxic chemicals may cause a variety of health problems including cancer, respiratory issues, and neurological impairment. Exposure to asbestos, for example, has been associated with mesothelioma – a rare, aggressive cancer. Lead exposure may cause learning or behavioral issues in children. Mercury exposure may cause neurodegeneration and result in memory loss, tremors and numbness.
Avoiding adverse health outcomes
To prevent negative health effects from environmental hazards it is essential to control the use of harmful chemicals, and ensure they do not leak into the environment. Regulating, monitoring and enforcing laws can help achieve this. Asbestos use has been banned in several countries and there have been measures taken to limit exposure to mercury and lead in the air.
How to Prevent Future Occurrences
In order to prevent the occurrence of future environmental hazards, we must continue to control the release of harmful chemicals into the atmosphere and regulate their use. Researching the harmful effects of chemicals on human health and taking steps to minimize exposure is essential.
The link between environmental hazards and adverse health outcomes
The link between environmental hazards and negative health outcomes is strong. A large amount of research has shown that exposure to toxic chemical exposure is associated with a wide range of health problems including cancer, respiratory issues, and neurodegenerative damage.
The Exposure and Disease Relationship
This relationship is the connection between the exposure of hazardous substances to disease. As an example, asbestos exposure is linked with mesothelioma and lead exposure can cause behavioral and nervous system problems and neurological damage in children.
Community Impact
It is important to note that environmental hazards have the potential to cause long-term economic and health effects. Exposure to toxic chemicals, for example, can increase the risk of cancer, and cause other illnesses, which in turn can lead to increased healthcare costs, and a decrease in quality of life. Exposure to environmental hazards also can lead to decreased property values, reduced economic opportunities and long-term effects on communities.
Environmental hazards are associated with a wide range of negative health outcomes. Therefore, it’s important to avoid exposure in the future and reduce your exposure. Environmental hazards are strongly associated with adverse human health outcomes. It is therefore important to keep researching this link and take measures to minimize exposure.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Lead. Taken from https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Asbestos. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/asbestos
World Health Organization. (2021). Mercury and Health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mercury-and-health