WHO: Drinking Water, Sanitation & Disease

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary cause of diarrhea according to the text?

Lack of access to toilets or latrines

Economic barriers

Drinking water scarcity

Infections of the digestive tract caused by disease organisms in food or water (correct)

What is a major obstacle in providing safe drinking water and sanitation to people in need?

Economic constraints (correct)

Limited access to medical care

Cultural barriers

Lack of awareness about the importance of sanitation

What two factors are typically involved in making life decisions?

Risk and opportunity

Cost and benefit

Risk and cost (correct)

Opportunity and benefit

What is risk defined as in the context of environmental issues?

The probability that a condition or action will lead to an injury, damage, or loss Signup and view all the answers

How many deaths of children under the age of five occur each year due to diarrheal disease?

760,000 Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of the world's population lives on $1.25 per day or less?

20 percent Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between probability and possibility?

Probability is a mathematical concept, while possibility is a general term. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of risk assessment?

To estimate the probability and consequences of a bad outcome. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary concern in risk management?

Determining the acceptable level of risk. Signup and view all the answers

What is a major dilemma facing decision makers and public health scientists?

How to address the discrepancy between scientific and public perceptions of environmental risks. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of environmental economics?

The study of how people choose to use resources to produce goods and services. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main concern in the perception of risk?

The discrepancy between scientific and public perceptions of environmental risks. Signup and view all the answers

What is a fundamental issue in the role of government and other organizations in a democracy when it comes to matters of risk?

Whether to focus resources on problems that are truly affecting health status or on problems that are receiving the most public attention. Signup and view all the answers

What is included in a risk management plan?

All of the above, plus deciding which risks should be given highest priority. Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of risk management?

To minimize or eliminate risks. Signup and view all the answers

What is the distinction between risk assessment and risk management?

Risk assessment is about evaluating risks, while risk management is about deciding what to do about them. Signup and view all the answers

What is the total annual benefit of providing universal access to improved water and sanitary facilities?

US $169.77 billion/year Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate annual recurrent cost of maintaining simple technology for water and sanitation facilities?

US $3 billion/year Signup and view all the answers

What is the concept that holds producers responsible for the environmental impacts of their products?

Extended product responsibility Signup and view all the answers

What is the time scale of ecological systems?

Years to centuries Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of sustainable development?

To meet present needs without compromising future generations Signup and view all the answers

What is life cycle analysis used for?

To identify changes in product design and process technology Signup and view all the answers

Why is environmental policy in the United States fragmented?

Due to political polarization Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of sustainable development?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is a risk associated with mercury contamination from coal plants?

Both A and B Signup and view all the answers

What is the total capital cost of providing universal access to improved water and sanitary facilities?

US $535 billion total Signup and view all the answers

What are the three classical kinds of resources?

Land, Labor, and Capital Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?

Renewable resources are formed or regenerated by natural processes Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the price of a good or service when demand is greater than supply?

The price increases Signup and view all the answers

What are pollution costs?

Private or public expenditures to correct pollution damage Signup and view all the answers

What is the philosophy of pollution prevention?

That pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a cost-benefit analysis?

To calculate the costs and benefits of a project or course of action Signup and view all the answers

What is the economic benefit of providing universal access to improved water and sanitary facilities?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated annual number of cases of diarrhea avoided by providing universal access to improved water and sanitary facilities?

660 million Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated annual economic value of the time saved by having access to improved water and sanitary facilities?

US $8.33 billion Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969?

To mandate environmental impact statements for major government-supported projects Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Disease

Approximately 1.7 billion cases of diarrheal disease occur each year, resulting in about 760,000 deaths of children under the age of five
The major cause of diarrhea is infections of the digestive tract caused by the ingestion of disease organisms in food or water
Providing safe drinking water and access to toilets or latrines can prevent diarrhea, but 20% of the world's population lives on $1.25 per day or less, making it impossible for individuals to provide their own safe drinking water supplies and sanitary facilities

Risk and Cost

Most decisions involve considering two factors: risk and cost
Risk is the probability that a condition or action will lead to an injury, damage, or loss
Probability is a mathematical statement about how likely it is that something will happen
Consequences of a bad outcome resulting from accepting a risk may be minor or catastrophic
Economic cost of dealing with bad outcomes is one of the consequences of accepting a risk

Characterizing Risk

Risk assessment uses facts and assumptions to estimate probability of harm to people or the environment from particular environmental factors or conditions
Several sources of information and tools are used to help clarify the risk
If a situation is well known, scientists use statistics based on past experience to estimate risks

Risk Management

Risk management is a decision-making process that involves using the results of risk assessment and selecting actions to minimize or eliminate the risk
It is included as part of all good environmental management systems within business and industry
The deciding question in risk management is: What degree of risk is acceptable?

Perception of Risk

One of the most profound dilemmas facing decision makers and public health scientists is how to address the discrepancy between the scientific and public perceptions of environmental risks
Numerous studies have shown that environmental hazards truly affecting health status in the country are not necessarily those receiving the highest attention

Environmental Economics

Economics is the study of how people choose to use resources to produce goods and services and how these goods and services are distributed to the public
Environmental problems are primarily economic problems
Resources can be categorized into three kinds: land (natural resources), labor (human resources), and capital (technology and knowledge)

Resources

Natural resources can be renewable or nonrenewable
Renewable resources are formed or regenerated by natural processes, such as soil, vegetation, animals, air, and water
Nonrenewable resources are not replaced by natural processes, or the rate of replacement is so slow as to be ineffective, such as iron ore, fossil fuels, and mountainous landscapes

Supply and Demand

Supply is the amount of a good or service people are willing to sell at a given price
Demand is the amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at a given price
The relationship between supply and demand is often illustrated with a supply/demand curve

Environmental Costs

Pollution, species extinction, resource depletion, and loss of scenic quality are all examples of the environmental costs of resource exploitation
Environmental costs are difficult to measure, since they are not easily converted to monetary values

The Economics of Pollution

Pollution is any addition of matter or energy that degrades the environment for humans and other organisms
Pollution-prevention costs are those incurred either in the private sector or by government to prevent, either entirely or partially, the pollution that would otherwise result from some production or consumption activity
The philosophy of pollution prevention is that pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost-benefit analysis is a formal process for calculating the costs and benefits of a project or course of action, to decide if benefits are greater than costs
In the United States, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 mandates environmental impact statements for major government-supported projects

Comparing Economic and Ecological Systems

Many environmental problems are symptoms of an imbalance between the socioeconomic system and the natural world
Economic systems have short time scales (years to minutes), whereas ecological systems have longer time scales (years to centuries)
Economic systems can occur anywhere, whereas ecological systems occur in specific places
Economic systems measure in money, whereas ecological systems measure in physical and biological units (grams of biomass, population size, etc.)

Life Cycle Analysis and Extended Product Responsibility

Life-cycle analysis is the process of assessing environmental effects associated with production, reuse, and disposal of a product over its entire useful life
Extended product responsibility is the concept that the producer of a product is responsible for all negative effects involved in its production, including the ultimate disposal of the product

Sustainability Characteristics

Renewability: the ability to maintain or restore natural resources and ecosystems over time
Substitution: the use of alternative resources or materials to reduce the environmental impact of a product or process
Interdependence: the interconnectedness of social, economic, and environmental systems
Adaptability: the ability to adjust to changing circumstances and adapt to new information
Institutional commitment: the commitment of organizations and governments to sustainable development

Economics and Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Most definitions refer to the viability of natural resources and ecosystems over time, and to maintenance of human living standards and economic growth

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Description

Test your knowledge about the impact of drinking water and sanitation on diarrheal diseases, particularly among children under five, according to the World Health Organization. Learn about the causes and solutions to this global health issue.