Public Health: Definition and Scope

10 Questions

What defines health according to the provided context?

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being

Which is NOT a component of sanitary environment as listed?

Food & nutrition

Which of the following agents is NOT mentioned as a pollutant in open air?

Mercury

Which statement is true about the control of outdoor air pollution?

Reducing pollutants disposed into air from different sources

Which pollutant specifically affects visibility, eye irritation, and respiratory discomfort?

Nitrogen oxides

Which pollutant primarily contributes to acid rain?

SO2

Which measure is not directly linked to the reduction of indoor air pollution?

Increasing use of renewable resources

Which microorganism is absolutely resistant to dryness?

Bacterial spores

Which pollutant affects the ozone layer along with methane?

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Which method is used to monitor microbiological air pollution by inoculating air into nutrient media?

Using solid devices plate technique

Study Notes

What is Health?

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
It is the state of being free from illness or injury.

Public Health

Deals with the study of general health problems of a community.
Includes infectious diseases, non-infectious diseases, occupational diseases, mental health, family and social health, and environmental health.

Environmental Health

Refers to the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to an individual that affect physical or mental health.
Includes air sanitation, water supply, food and milk sanitation, refuse and sewage disposal, and housing and industrial health.

Air Pollution

Introduction of chemicals (CO2, SO2, etc.) or biological materials (pollen grains, fungal spores, bacteria) to the air that cause harm or discomfort to humans.
Can be caused by biological agents (pollen grains, fungal spores, bacteria) or chemical agents (CO2, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, lead).
Control of outdoor pollution involves reducing pollutants, moving industries away from populated areas, and continuous monitoring of pollutants.

Indoor Air Pollution

Air in enclosed places (factories, offices, homes, schools) can be polluted by products of human respiration, plant and animal products, and industrial fumes and gases.
Contaminated air has increased CO2, relative humidity, and temperature, leading to growth of microorganisms and health hazards.
Control of indoor pollution involves good housekeeping measures, maintenance of heating and air conditioning equipment, and adequate ventilation.

Reducing Air Pollution

Can be achieved by improving energy efficiency, reducing coal use, increasing natural gas use, and increasing the use of renewable resources.
Other methods include removing SO2, particulates, and NOx from smokestack gases, removing NOx from motor vehicular exhaust, and taxing emissions of SO2.

Chemical Pollutants

CO2 is the main pollutant that contributes to climate change.
Methane and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) affect the ozone layer.
SO2 causes acid rains, which damage trees and cause eye irritation and inflammation of the respiratory tract.
NO2 is a major source of inflammation of the respiratory tract airways.
Ozone (O3) is formed at ground level by reaction of air pollutants and sunlight, causing breathing problems and asthma.

Microbial Air Pollution

Pathogenic microorganisms found in air are transmitted on dust particles or dry saliva droplets.
Microorganisms in the air include bacterial spores, fungi, and Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria.
UV light (sun) inactivates airborne microorganisms.
Monitoring microbiological air pollution involves measuring the degree of contamination of air samples using solid devices plate technique or liquid technique.