• Assesses environmental factors that influence human health and quality of life
• Seeks to prevent adverse effects on human health and ecological systems
• Contains environmental toxicology within its scope Environmen
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• Assesses environmental factors that influence human health and quality of life
• Seeks to prevent adverse effects on human health and ecological systems
• Contains environmental toxicology within its scope Environmental health hazards
• Types include:
• Physical hazards (floods, blizzards, landslides, radon, UV exposure) • Chemical hazards (disinfectants, pesticides) • Biological hazards (viruses, bacterial infections) • Cultural or lifestyle hazards (drinking, smoking, bad diet, crime in neighborhood) Infectious disease
•In communicable or transmissable disease, a pathogen attacks a host,
• either directly or through a vector (e.g., mosquito that transfers a malaria parasite to hosts)
• … and the pathogen can be transmitted from one host to another.
• Infectious disease causes 25% of deaths in the world and nearly half of deaths in developing nations. Many health hazards also exist indoors
• Substances in plastics and consumer products • Lead in paint and pipes • Radon • Asbestos • PBDE fire retardants
Toxicology - Is the study of poisonous substances and their effects on humans and other organisms
• Toxicologists assess and compare toxic agents, or toxicants, for their toxicity, the degree of harm a substance can inflict.
• Environmental toxicology focuses on effects of chemical poisons released into the environment. Environmental toxicology
•Toxicants are studied that come from or are discharged into the environment and their:
• Health effects on humans • Effects on animals • Effects on ecosystems Animals are studied:
• For their own welfare • As “canaries in a coal mine” to warn of effects on humans
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