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Environmental Business Review | Monday, July 10, 2023
Human health is adversely affected by environmental hazards that cause serious and life-threatening diseases. Untreated drinking water, poor hygiene, and improper sanitation can also lead to infectious diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and dengue.
FREMONT, CA: The environment in which we live has a profound impact on human health. We often tend to think that our health is primarily determined by our own choices to eat right, exercise, choose good habits over bad habits, etc., so we may be unaware of all the ways our environment affects our overall health. However, our overall health is influenced by where we live and how we interact with the environment. Here are some of the effects of environmental hazards on human health.
The water: Availability of water can be just as important as its quality for many people. Approximately 2,200 children worldwide die each day from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe drinking water. Water quality in the United States is primarily concerned with preventing the spread of disease, minimizing the risks of heavy metal contamination and pesticide contamination, and ensuring clean drinking water for all.
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The sanitation system: In developing countries, clean toilets, toilets that are not near drinking water sources, and public sanitation facilities and infrastructure are crucial to human health. The population needs more education on sanitation despite having these facilities and access to cleaning supplies.
The quality of the air: There is the poor air quality in areas near highways, industrial factories, agricultural fields sprayed with pesticides, or areas where seasonal fires occur. These exposures can cause short and long-term health problems, including asthma, allergies, lung cancer, and other serious conditions. Babies born to women who were exposed to poor air quality during pregnancy had lower birth weights, according to one study.
The community: According to some recent studies, many poor inner-city communities lack easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables because there are no grocery stores nearby. For their dietary needs, they rely on convenience stores that sell highly processed foods at high prices. As a result, public gardens are being created in these communities. Nevertheless, these community gardens should have their soil tested for toxins in order to ensure that the food they grow is indeed healthy.
Contaminants: For two centuries, industrial processes have created toxic compounds that harm the environment and human health. Even though many toxic chemicals are regulated or even banned from being produced in the U.S., they still find their way into our imported products, including insecticides, herbicides, heavy metals, PFAs, asbestos, and many others. There are many harmful effects caused by these dangerous toxins, including kidney and liver damage, cancer, reproductive issues, lung problems, low birth rates, and developmental problems.
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