Chapter: Medicine Study Notes : Public Health

Classification - Environmental Health

Effect of environment on health at a population level (want to stop people being sick…).

Environmental Health

Classification

· Effect of environment on health at a population level (want to stop people being sick…)

· Classify by route of exposure to agent of harm: Classify water, air and soil by physical, chemical and microbial (prion, virus, bacteria, protozoa, etc):

o Water:

§ Physical

· Drought

· Drowning: in NZ have the hazard and lots of exposure (outdoor pursuits, fishing, swimming pools)

§ Microbial:

· Virus: HAV, rotavirus

· Bacterial: shigella, campylobacter

· Protozoa: amoeboea, Cryptosporidium, Giardia

§ Chemical: arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh

o Air:

§ Physical:

· Suffocation: plastic bags, volcanic gases, faulty gas appliances

· High winds

· Noise

§ Microbial: Tb, legionaries

§ Chemical: pesticides, asbestos, work place

o Soil/Food:

§ Physical: landslide, earthquake, desertification

§ Microbial: tetanus

§ Chemical: heavy metals, selenium deficiency

o Other: Sun (UVB ® cancer), radiation

· Occupational health and psycho-social health often separated off from environmental health

· Need multi-disciplinary teams to solve problems (eg housing: doctors, engineers, sociologists, economists)

Study Material, Lecturing Notes, Assignment, Reference, Wiki description explanation, brief detail

Medicine Study Notes : Public Health : Classification - Environmental Health |