11 - Impact of Environmental Pollution

• Approximately 23% of global deaths are linked to environmental factors, totaling 12.6 million deaths annually.
  • 3.8 million in South-East Asia.
  • 3.5 million in the Western-Pacific.
  • 2.2 million in Africa.
  • 1.4 million in Europe.
  • 854,000 in the East Mediterranean.
  • 847,000 in the Americas.

Environmental Pollution Definition

• Introduction of substances or energy that harms health, the environment, or living organisms (UNEP).
• Presence of harmful substances or heat in air, water, or land.
• Activities creating pollutants (WHO).

General Characteristics of Pollutants

• Pollutants do not recognize boundaries, meaning their spread/travel is not restricted.
• Many pollutants cannot be degraded by living organisms.
• Pollutants can destroy biota and habitats.
• Short and long-term exposure to pollution can lead to diseases.

WHO Facts and Trends

• More than 80% of major diseases and injuries are impacted by environmental factors.
• There was an 11% reduction in infectious, parasitic, neonatal, and nutritional diseases from 2002-2012.
  • Due to global decline of infectious disease rates.
  • There was also a reduction in the environmental risks causing infectious diseases.
  • More people have access to safe water and sanitation.
  • Fewer households use solid fuels for cooking.
  • Progress is generally slow in developing countries.
  • Infectious diseases still remain an area of concern.
  • The Philippines still experiences outbreaks of cholera and typhoid.
• A 5% increase was seen in noncommunicable diseases from 2002-2012
• Injuries had only a 1% increase but the level is already high.
• Overall, there was a 0.6% reduction in number of cases from 2002-2012
• Most efforts are geared towards infectious, parasitic, neonatal, and nutritional diseases
• The largest number of deaths attributed to the environment are now caused by NCDs.
• The highest population attributable fractions are in the area of injuries.
• Stroke has a high environmental fraction of 42%

Most Impacted by the Environment

• Environmental impacts on health are uneven and affect the poor.
• 4.9 million deaths (50%) occur in adults between 50-75 years old, commonly from noncommunicable diseases and injuries.
• 1.7 million deaths (13%) occur in children under 5, mainly from lower respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases.
• Men are more affected to environmental-related diseases and women bear higher exposures to traditional environmental risks.
• Low- and middle-income countries bear the greatest share of environmental diseases.

Emerging Environmental Pollutants Definition

• Compounds not currently covered by regulations
• Have not been studied before
• Thought to be potential threats to environmental ecosystems and human health and safety.
• Not necessarily new compounds, but recently "discovered."
• Chemicals identified as potential threats not yet widely regulated (UNEP).

Categories of Emerging Pollutants

• Human and veterinary pharmaceuticals: can contribute to antimicrobial resistance.
• Personal care products: including UV filters.
• Gasoline additives: can be inhaled, causing adverse health effects.
• Water disinfection byproducts: ex Chlorine dioxide, chlorine.
• Other Categories: Manufactured nanomaterials, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, perfluorinated compounds and flame retardants

Microplastics

• Microplastics are <5mm in size.
• Microplastics can go to drinking waters and food chain → human body.
• The abundance of microplastics poses potential toxicity risks.
• Can affect physiological and biological processes in marine and terrestrial organisms.
• Can act as vectors for other contaminants.
• Is a carrier of microbes/pollutants, transferring it to other organisms.

Origins of Emerging Pollutants

• Industry, household, hospitals, land, and other bodies of water.
• They can reach the soil, atmosphere, and water bodies through several ways or mechanisms.
• The routes of pollutant spread depends largely on several properties: polarity and persistence.

Environmental Pathways

• PFCs, DBPs, gasoline additives, pharmaceuticals, manufactured nanomaterials, UV-filters
• Emerging pollutants can go to: soil, air, water, animals, plants, and microorganism They eventually go to human beings depending on the exposure and dose

Human Exposure and Point of Entry

• Food: ingestion.
• Air and Dust ,water: ingestion, dermal contact, inhalation.
• The pathway follows the same principles as that of general pollutants.
• Humans may be exposed to EEPs through food and beverages, pesticides applied on the skin, and cosmetics used.
• No or only a few studies have shown a direct impact on human health

Impact of Climate Change on EEPS

• Climate change is associated and the emergence of extreme weather events.
• Contaminants in terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric domains were affected by climate change.
• Interactions of extreme weather events with contaminants are multi-faceted.
• Climate change has a huge effect on the environmental pathway of chemicals
• In the Philippine context: Typhoons and flooding disperse pollutants.

Technologies on the Removal or Treatment of EEPS

• Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are used for removal of organic and inorganic materials from water through oxidation
• Sorption processes are used to improve biological cleaning processes with activated charcoal as sorbent
• Bioremediation removes pollutants using metabolism of microorganisms
• Phytoremediation occurs when plants absorb the target chemicals
• Membrane technology is a semi-permeable physical barrier with pores or molecular channels.

Actions Needed

• Reduce, minimize, or avoid the use of EEPs and develop alternatives.
• Improve treatment technologies to reduce, remove or eliminate EEPs in the environment.
• Improve awareness on emerging pollutants through research.
• Strengthen environmental monitoring system to detect location and level of concentration of EEPs.
• Develop policies, regulations, and standards to control activities that generates EEPs with resilient technologies.