ERSTC-INDG 3731 Lecture 6 (23-24)-Physical.pdf

Indigenous People, Health and the Environment Indigenous people, health and relationships with physical energy in the environment Lecture 6 1 1 Environmental Health Hazards/Benefits Model and Approach: Biological Hazards: e.g. bacteria, viruses, parasites and other pathogenic organisms Benefits...

Indigenous People, Health and the Environment Indigenous people, health and relationships with physical energy in the environment Lecture 6 1 1 Environmental Health Hazards/Benefits Model and Approach: Biological Hazards: e.g. bacteria, viruses, parasites and other pathogenic organisms Benefits: e.g. traditional food species, traditional plants Chemical Hazards: e.g. toxic metals, air pollutants, solvents, pesticides Benefits: e.g. nutrients, anti-oxidants other critical elements of traditional plants, foods and other medicines Physical Hazards: e.g. radiation, temperature, sounds (noise) Benefits: e.g. temperature, sound (music) Mechanical Hazards: e.g. motor vehicle, home, agriculture, workplace injury Benefits: e.g. motor vehicle, traditional form of transportation, home, workplace (traditional and contemporary) benefits Psychosocial Hazards: e.g. stress, lifestyle disruption, effects of social change, marginalization, unemployment Benefits: e.g. stress-relief, balance, identity, cultural connection 2 2 1 Physical Benefits Potentially beneficial energy in the environment that can result in either immediate or gradually acquired health benefit when transferred in sufficient quantities to exposed individuals Natural Sources • Healing powers of the land • Not discussed in the context of “physical energies” • More related to psychosocial and spiritual energies and powers – Discussed in biological and psychosocial benefits and hazards lecture / topic – Non-Indigenous view: Biophilia and positive health effects of ‘connection’ with nature – Indigenous view: Creation stories and philosophies and teachings about place and health relationship with the natural world 3 3 Physical Hazards “Potentially harmful energy in the environment that can result in either immediate or gradually acquired damage when transferred in sufficient quantities to exposed individuals” (Yassi et al., 2001: p80) Natural Sources – Radioactive material in the earth (Uranium, Radon, etc) Anthropogenic Sources – Sound waves (noise) * – Concentrated / disturbed radiation * – Light energy * – Thermal energy (temperature) * – Electrical energy * most common 4 4 2 Common Environmental Hazards and Routes of Exposure Yassi et al., 2001 5 5 6 6 6 3 7 7 7 8 9 8 4 Noise and Vibration Selected Risk Factors for Indigenous Health Impacts Occupation – e.g. industrial occupations and heavy machine use Livelihood / lifestyle – e.g. hunting and gun use, modes of transportation Age – e.g. lifetime exposure and gradual impairment Previous health condition (e.g. ear infection) – e.g. inner ear and conductive loss or impairment at a young age is up to 40 times higher among some groups (Inuit, First Nations and Metis in the North) Gender – e.g. confounder with occupation, livelihood Geographic location of residence – e.g. climate, temperature, auditory health, occurs along with occupation and livelihood practices 9 9 Energy emitted from a source is generally referred to as radiation (e.g. heat or light from the sun, microwaves from an oven, X rays from an X-ray tube, and gamma rays from radioactive elements) Ionizing radiation is any form of radiation that has enough energy to knock electrons out of atoms or molecules, creating ions and a charged or ionized atom or molecule (ionizations). 1010 10 5 ionizations 1111 11 12 12 12 6 Radiation – Summary Videos Radiation - Overview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw0pHT47AAU (4:02) Radiation and health https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-MASU1RHqM (6:48) Others (for your own viewing): Health Effects of Radiation Exposure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhUuFCrDOlw (4:02) Effects of Radiation on Health https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq6FDyFeCN0 (4:02) 13 13 14 14 14 7 15 15 15 Radionuclides in the environment 1. Nuclear Power Chernobyl, Ukraine Sellafield, UK Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania Fukushima, Japan 2. Nuclear Weapons Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan 3. Uranium Mining Northern Australia New Mexico (Navajo) NWT (Dene) 16 16 8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5ptI6Pi3GA (3:25) 17 17 17 18 18 18 9 19 19 19 20 20 20 10 21 21 21 22 22 22 11 23 23 23 24 24 24 12 Identified effects of Chernobyl: • • • • • Thyroid cancer Leukemia Non-cancer effects Heritable effects Mental health and psychosocial effects 25 25 26 26 26 13 27 27 27 28 28 28 14 29 29 29 Uranium Mining and Indigenous Peoples • A village of widows – Deline (Sahtu Dene) https://vimeo.com/12397293 (excerpts, 3:32) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSReqj1JX-c (full video for your viewing, 52:10) • Yellow Fever - Navajo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d56mjIw1hDo (trailer, 2:12) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7jl7bZaCo8 (Democracy Now! Interview with Navajo activist for your viewing, 12:32) Brugge and Goble 2002. History of Uranium Mining and the Navajo People 30 30 15 ionizations 31 31 31 Non-Ionizing Radiation Ultraviolet radiation Skin cancer Immunosuppression Cataracts and other ocular damage Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) Suspected health effects (e.g. tumors) Some benefits seen at low frequency Ongoing research Light Blindness 32 32 16 Indigenous Non-Indigenous males Non-Indigenous females Indigenous males Indigenous females 33 33 33 Temperature - Health Homeostasis • Organisms must maintain a fairly constant internal environment in an ever-changing physical environment • homeostasis • Body temperature • Water balance • pH • Salt concentration in body fluids and tissues • Thermoneutral ambient temp = 27 C • Thermoneutral core temp = 37 C • Homeostasis depends on negative feedback • Negative feedback counteracts the initial change and brings the level back within the accepted range • Organisms have limited range of tolerances or homeostatic plateaus 34 34 17 Climate – Temperature - Health 35 35 Climate – Temperature - Health Thermoregulation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJhsyS4lTW0 Positive/Negative feedback and homeostasis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz0Q9nTZCw4 36 36 18 Climate – Temperature - Health Negative and Positive Feedback Negative feedback: • system returns to a set point or equilibrium after deviating from it • Self regulating Without negative feedback: • System continues in the same direction as the original deviation • Heat and lack of negative feedback: result in heat stroke, cardiac related mortality • Cold and lack of negative feedback: frostbite, hypothermia and death 37 37 Climate Change – Health Pathways DIRECT INDIRECT Haines et al., 2006 38 38 38 19 39 39 39 Health Benefits of Connection with Physical Energy in the Environment • • • • • Physical activity Physiological health Access to resources Livelihoods (formal/informal) Traditions and knowledge • • • • Cultural identity Mental health Spiritual health Social well-being (e.g. cohesion) • Few report benefits related to “physical energy(ies)” • More related to physical activity, relationship through pathways with good “chemicals” in living things (traditional medicines and foods) and psychosocial and spiritual benefits (Grinde and Grondel-Patil 2009) 40 40 20 Healthy Country / Environment = Healthy People Physical health benefits • Physical health and well-being • More bush meat consumption • More bush fruit and vegetable consumption • Lower obesity • Lower type II diabetes • Lower blood pressure • Lower risk for heart disease • Lower ‘distress’ Burgess et al., 2009 41 41 Supplementary Reading RLHS. 2003. First Nations Regional Health Survey, AFN Berner and Furgal. 2005 Climate change and human health, Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. (Section on Temperature) Brugge and Goble. 2002. History of Uranium and Navajo… Bowd. 2005. Otitis media: health and social consequences… Grinde and Grondel-Patil. 2009. Biophilia and health.. McCarty et al. 2000 Epidemiology of pterygium in Victoria, Aus… Moore et al. 1999. Comparison of risk of conductive hearing loss… Sumner. 2009. Health effects resulting from the Chernobyl accident.. Yassi et al. 2001 Basic Environmental Health (Physical Hazards) 41 42 21