Chapter 6 Environmental Health PowerPoint PDF

Chapter 6 Environmental Health Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Environmental Health  Humans interact with the environment. This affects the quality of health.  Global burden o...

Chapter 6 Environmental Health Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Environmental Health  Humans interact with the environment. This affects the quality of health.  Global burden of disease attributable to the environment ‒ Environmental risks ‒ Environmental impacts on health are uneven across the life course and gender ‒ Low- and middle-income countries bear the greatest share of environmental disease ‒ The evidence on quantitative links between health and environment has increased. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Environmental Health and the Ecological Model  Environmental health extends beyond food, air, water, soil, dust, and even consumer products and waste. It includes all aspects of our living conditions, the use and misuse of resources, and the overall design of communities.  Using an ecological approach requires an understanding that individuals and populations interact with their environment. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Healthy People 2030  One of the seven proposed foundational principles for the Healthy People (HP) 2030 framework pertains specifically to environmental health.  “Healthy physical, social, and economic environments strengthen the potential to achieve health and well-being.” Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  World Health Organization  Almost a quarter of all deaths globally are attributable to the environment. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Nurses and Environmental Health  The American Nurses Association's (ANA’s) principles of environmental health for nursing practice with implementation strategies Registered nurses play a critical role in both assessing environmental health issues and addressing them. Nurses serve as environmental health professionals act to protect the health of populations. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Ten Principles for Healthy, Safe Environments 1. Knowledge of environmental health concepts is essential to nursing practice. 2. The precautionary principle guides nurses in their practice to use products and practices that do not harm human health or the environment, and to take preventive action in the face of uncertainty. 3. Nurses have a right to work in an environment that is safe and Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Ten Principles for Healthy, Safe Environments 4. Healthy environments are sustained through multidisciplinary collaboration. 5. Choices of materials, products, technology, and practices in the environment that impact nursing practice are based on the best evidence available. 6. Approaches to promoting a healthy environment respect the diverse values, beliefs, cultures, and Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Ten Principles for Healthy, Safe Environments 7. Nurses participate in assessing the quality of the environment in which they practice and live. 8. Nurses, other health-care workers, patients, and communities have the right to know relevant and timely information about the potentially harmful products, chemicals, pollutants, and hazards to which they are exposed. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Ten Principles for Healthy, Safe Environments 9. Nurses participate in research of best practices that promote a safe and healthy environment. 10.Nurses must be supported in advocating for and implementing environmental health principles in nursing practice. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Environmental Health and Nursing  Issues specific to nursing practice: Knowledge of the role environment plays in the health of individuals, families, and populations Ability to assess health hazards and make referrals Use of appropriate risk communication strategies Understanding of policies and legislation related to environmental health Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Approaches to Environmental Health  Transition from local focus to a continuum across local, state, and national agencies  1979: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formed: Mission to protect human health Safeguard natural environment Writes and enforces regulations Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  Serves as a regulatory body  Performs environmental assessments  Performs research  Educates  Sets and enforces national environmental standards Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Laws That Protect the Environment  Clean Air Act  Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)  Clean Water Act  Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (also known as the “Superfund”) Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  The Built Environment  Human-made surroundings created for the daily activities of people  Includes a range of physical and social elements that make up a community: Disadvantaged communities often have a built environment with limited resources, higher pollution, poorer maintenance of buildings, fewer options for outside activities, smaller selection of goods, and limited transportation, all leading to poorer health. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Hazardous Substances  Three major factors: 1. Their inherent toxicity or ability to cause harm to humans 2. Whether they enter the body and reach susceptible organs 3. Amounts that are present Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Routes of Entry and Latency  Three routes of entry: 1. Ingestion 2. Inhalation 3. Dermal absorption  The time lag between exposure and disease is known as a latency period. This period interferes with the ability to identify cause-and-effect links and anticipate and prevent negative health effects. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Exposure Risk Assessment  Four steps: 1.Hazard identification 2.Dose–response assessment ‒ Correlation between an increase in quantity of a substance and an increase in harmful effects 3. Exposure assessment ‒ Consideration of the level, timing, and extent of the exposure 4. Risk characterization Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Types of Exposures  Chemical agents Carbon monoxide Metals Pesticides 350,000+ worldwide  Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry Provides information Identifies effects on health Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Types of Exposures (continued_1)  Biological agents Bacteria Viruses Rickettsia Molds Plant and animal contact Fungi Allergens: ‒ Dust mites ‒ Cockroaches Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Types of Exposures (continued_2)  Physical agents Injurious exchange of energy ‒ Heat ‒ Cold ‒ Radiation ‒ Noise ‒ Vibration ‒ Falls ‒ Vehicle crashes ‒ Crush injuries ‒ Violence Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Types of Exposures (continued_3)  Psychosocial factors Real or perceived threats ‒ Live in fear. ‒ Experience stress, panic, and anxiety. ‒ Affect health, safety, and well-being. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Mixed Exposures  Usually more than one threat  Interaction and a subsequent increase in hazard can occur when different agents are combined. Example: Combining household products that contain ammonia with other agents containing chlorine leads to the production of chloramines, which are much more toxic than ammonia or chlorine alone. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  The Environmental Health History  An individual environmental exposure assessment begins with time and place.  An assessment 1. An includes exposure survey 2. A work history 3. An environmental history Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Lead Poisoning: Example of Environmental Hazard  To determine if a child has been exposed to lead Screen for the amount of lead in blood; the blood lead level (BLL) is measured in micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (micrograms per deciliter).  Interventions can include home visits to conduct an environmental assessment. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Environmental Justice  Has fair distribution of environmental burdens.  Maintains fair application of environmental laws, policies, and regulations regardless of race, color, national origin, or income.  Disadvantaged communities are often located near contaminated lands such as industrial areas, highways, and rail transportation routes where certain types of cargo and exhaust pose dangers and hazardous waste disposal sites exist. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Gene and Environment Interaction  This involves genetic factors and susceptibility to toxic exposures.  When individuals with a specific genetic makeup encounter environmental exposures, they have an increased risk for diabetes, pulmonary disease, breast cancer, and other diseases and disorders. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Climate Change  There is a complex interaction between climate change and health.* Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Air  Ambient air and quality Air surrounding a place Pollutant levels not harmful to humans Travel with the winds  Point source Specific source of pollutant  Mobile or nonpoint source Cars and trucks on the road Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Air  The air quality index evaluates the degree of air pollution.  Indoor air pollution at home and work Little regulation currently Mold Pesticides Metals Gram-negative bacteria Chemicals Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Potable Water  Water quality is a health determinant of populations.  Inorganic water contaminants National primary drinking water regulations set standards of safety. ‒ Legally enforceable The EPA has a list of safe contaminant levels. The Safe Drinking Water Act addresses these issues. Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company  Community Environmental Health Assessment Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE EH)  This methodology guides communities and local health officials in conducting community-based environmental health assessments. PACE EH draws on community collaboration and environmental justice principles to involve the public and other stakeholders in Identifying local environmental health issues Setting priorities for action Targeting populations most at risk Addressing identified issues Copyright ©2024 F.A. Davis Company