Environmental Health: the Dependence of Our Health on Pollution

Our surrounding can directly and indirectly impact on our health and wellbeing. Environmental health examines the interaction between the environment and our health. Environmental health refers to aspects of human health (including quality of life) that are determined by physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial factors in our environment or surrounding. This is environmental health essay in which will be discussed this topic.

The environment or surrounding broadly includes everything external to ourselves, including the physical, natural, social and behavioral environments. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and is not merely the absence of disease or illness. We need safe, healthy and supportive environments for good health. The environment in which we live is a major determinant of our health and wellbeing. We depend on our surrounding or environment for energy and the materials needed to sustain life, such as:

• clean air,
• safe drinking water,
• nutritious food,
• safe places to live.

In today’s polluted world, learning and executing the correct methods of handling waste generated has become essential or hyper active. Proper methods of disposing waste has to be undertaken to ensure that it does not affect our immediate environment or cause health hazards to dwellers of the environment. At the household-level proper segregation of waste needs to be done and it should be ensured that all organic matter is kept aside for composting, which doubtlessly is the best method for the disposal of this segment of waste. the fact is that the organic section of the generated decomposes more easily, attracts insects and causes disease. Organic waste can be composted and then used as a fertilizer.

Poor waste handling practices and inadequate provision of solid waste management facilities in cities of developing countries result in indiscriminate disposal, unsanitary environments that pose a threat to health of urban residents. Improper handling, storage and disposal of wastes are major reason for environmental defilement, which provides breeding grounds for pathogenic organisms and encourages wide spread of impairment of health. For instance, the presence of houseflies in the kitchen during cooking correlates with the incidence of childhood diarrhoea. In addition, a connection was found between waste burning and respiratory health symptoms among adults and children.

Ensuring that waste yielded at home is properly packed, stored and promptly picked up for proper disposal will help in reducing the incidence of infectious diseases in our urban areas. Identifying areas of deficiency and planning strategies at addressing these deficiencies will help achieve sound environmental health. Most developing nations including Nigeria are fast becoming an e–waste destination because most second hand electronics, substandard and recycled electronics from various parts of the world find fertile grounds in these countries and are patronized mostly by the low income population. As a result of these ugly practices most municipal solid wastes contain high quantities of these e–wastes. There is need for urgent and strict control measures by Nigeria government to regulate the importations of substandard electronics which have short life span.

Waste management is a significant contributor of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. especially the dumping of waste in landfills generates methane (CH4) that has high global warming potential. Waste management activities and especially disposal of waste in landfills contribute to global GHG emissions approximately by 4%. The most common methods used for Waste management, besides jandfilling, include composting, recycling, mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) and waste-to-energy (WTE). According to Huang, Lessner, and Carpenter, the European waste policy force diversion from landfill and WTE is a waste management option that could provide diversion from landfill and at same time save a substantial amount of GHG emissions, since it recovers energy from waste which usually replaces an equivalent amount of energy generated from fossil fuels. However, disposal of Solid Waste management in sanitary landfills is still the waste management method in use by many countries as observed by Cordioli et al. both in the EU and internationally, although diversion from land filling is generally promoted and the perspectives of another waste treatment technology been evaluated.

The major models of disposition of solid waste in Nigeria are land filling or dumping and incineration. People want their refuse taken away and do not want it disposed of near their habitat, or at least not so they can see or smell it. However, the European countries have resolved to improving land disposal practices for solid wastes (including sludge), which may reduce the adverse environmental effects of such disposal of waste and other forms of solid waste disposals on land. This includes means of reducing harmful environmental effects of earlier/existing landfills, means of restoring areas damaged by such earlier or existing landfills, means for rendering landfills safe for purposes of construction, and other uses and techniques of recovering materials and energy from landfills.

Different methods of waste management emit a large number of substances, most in small quantities and at extremely low levels. Raised incidence of low births have been related to residence near landfill sites, as has the occurrence of various congenital malformations. There is little proof for an association with reproductive or developmental effects with proximity to incinerators. Studies of cancer incidence and mortality in populations around landfill sites or incinerators have been equivocal, with varying results for different cancer sites. Many of these studies lack good individual exposure information and data on potential confounders, such as socio-economic status. The inherent latency of diseases and migration of populations are often ignored. Waste management workers have been shown to have increased incidence of accidents and musculoskeletal problems. The health impacts of fresh waste management technologies and the increasing use of recycling and composting will require assessment and monitoring.

In conclusion, many aspects of our environment – both built and natural environment – can impact on our health. It’s important that we interpret health issues in every aspect of our environment or surrounding . Many areas of our environment or surrounding can affect our health. Environmental jeopardy can elevate the risk of disease, including cancer, heart disease and asthma. To prevent the development of health diseases due to environment pollution rapid actions must be done. We need to start from waste management that will be the first step for resolving this issue.