WEBVTT 1 00:00:10.950 --> 00:00:13.260 Welcome to week one of PH304, 2 00:00:13.260 --> 00:00:15.390 Environmental Public Health. 3 00:00:15.390 --> 00:00:18.030 In this presentation, we'll review some of the topics 4 00:00:18.030 --> 00:00:20.910 covered in your reading, and also discuss other ways 5 00:00:20.910 --> 00:00:23.360 to think about the field of environmental health. 6 00:00:28.440 --> 00:00:30.600 Your textbook introduced you to several different 7 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:34.470 definitions of the environment and environmental health. 8 00:00:34.470 --> 00:00:35.994 The definition of the environment 9 00:00:35.994 --> 00:00:39.600 that is most inclusive is probably the one shown here, 10 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:43.563 and includes all of the external factors that act on humans. 11 00:00:44.580 --> 00:00:47.280 Note that this definition is probably not the same 12 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:49.710 as one that would be used by an environmental scientist 13 00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:52.920 or an environmental engineer, especially because it refers 14 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:55.410 to those factors that act on humans. 15 00:00:55.410 --> 00:00:57.753 This is specific to a health context. 16 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:02.340 In terms of definitions of environmental health, 17 00:01:02.340 --> 00:01:04.320 many are quite broad. 18 00:01:04.320 --> 00:01:06.930 The one shown here was provided in your textbook, 19 00:01:06.930 --> 00:01:09.030 and is from the World Health Organization. 20 00:01:09.930 --> 00:01:12.513 Let's take a moment to break down this definition. 21 00:01:14.310 --> 00:01:18.120 First, this definition includes quality of life, 22 00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:19.140 so that would include things 23 00:01:19.140 --> 00:01:21.960 that make people's lives better, like housing quality, 24 00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:25.773 or even access to nature, and not just the bare necessities. 25 00:01:27.330 --> 00:01:30.030 The definition also refers to physical, chemical, 26 00:01:30.030 --> 00:01:32.220 biological, social and psychosocial 27 00:01:32.220 --> 00:01:33.813 factors in the environment. 28 00:01:35.130 --> 00:01:38.490 This indicates a very broad range of potential exposures 29 00:01:38.490 --> 00:01:41.700 that fall under the umbrella of environmental health. 30 00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:46.410 Everything from ergonomic chairs, noise, radiation, 31 00:01:46.410 --> 00:01:49.320 pesticides sprayed on farm fields, 32 00:01:49.320 --> 00:01:51.243 certain infectious diseases, 33 00:01:52.170 --> 00:01:56.130 urban planning, transportation, land use, 34 00:01:56.130 --> 00:02:00.093 and systematic racism are all included in this definition. 35 00:02:02.460 --> 00:02:05.070 The definition also refers to the theory and practice 36 00:02:05.070 --> 00:02:07.650 of assessing, correcting, controlling and preventing 37 00:02:07.650 --> 00:02:09.780 those factors in the environment, 38 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:11.640 so that's really getting at what the field 39 00:02:11.640 --> 00:02:15.570 of environmental health is, that can potentially affect 40 00:02:15.570 --> 00:02:19.050 the health of present and future generations. 41 00:02:19.050 --> 00:02:20.730 I think that it is really important 42 00:02:20.730 --> 00:02:23.403 that future generations are noted in the definition. 43 00:02:25.050 --> 00:02:26.850 Take a moment and think of one or two 44 00:02:26.850 --> 00:02:28.770 environmental health impacts that we might 45 00:02:28.770 --> 00:02:31.233 be concerned about for future generations. 46 00:02:47.310 --> 00:02:51.660 A prominent example that comes to my mind is climate change. 47 00:02:51.660 --> 00:02:53.640 Future generations will have to contend 48 00:02:53.640 --> 00:02:56.280 with higher temperatures in some areas, 49 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:58.980 more severe storms, and other health risks 50 00:02:58.980 --> 00:03:01.263 as a consequence of climate change. 51 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:04.650 Another example that comes to mind 52 00:03:04.650 --> 00:03:07.740 is when pregnant women are exposed to toxins. 53 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:09.120 It raises the question of whether 54 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:10.803 or not the baby will be harmed. 55 00:03:11.910 --> 00:03:13.650 We know that some chemicals can pass 56 00:03:13.650 --> 00:03:16.560 to the fetus through the umbilical cord, 57 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:18.540 but there's also evidence that some chemicals 58 00:03:18.540 --> 00:03:21.720 can alter gene function, and that this can be passed 59 00:03:21.720 --> 00:03:23.940 down to subsequent generations, 60 00:03:23.940 --> 00:03:27.240 so not just from mother to child, but that child could 61 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:29.883 potentially pass it on to their future children. 62 00:03:35.040 --> 00:03:38.100 Sometimes it is easier to think about environmental health 63 00:03:38.100 --> 00:03:41.910 in terms of the range of different environmental media 64 00:03:41.910 --> 00:03:45.393 that people can be exposed to health hazards through. 65 00:03:46.650 --> 00:03:48.990 For example, ambient air pollutants, 66 00:03:48.990 --> 00:03:51.330 including particulate matter, ozone, 67 00:03:51.330 --> 00:03:53.490 and volatile organic compounds 68 00:03:53.490 --> 00:03:55.020 can adversely affect human health, 69 00:03:55.020 --> 00:03:58.323 especially cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes. 70 00:03:59.970 --> 00:04:03.330 Water pollutants can include infectious diseases 71 00:04:03.330 --> 00:04:06.153 like schistosomiasis and giardiasis, 72 00:04:06.990 --> 00:04:10.620 chemicals, including metals like lead and arsenic, 73 00:04:10.620 --> 00:04:14.103 or organic compounds such as those found in pesticides, 74 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.570 and then soil pollutants can also be hazardous. 75 00:04:18.570 --> 00:04:20.730 Think for example, Superfund sites 76 00:04:20.730 --> 00:04:24.660 and hazardous waste sites, and exposure can often vary 77 00:04:24.660 --> 00:04:26.610 by race or socioeconomic status, 78 00:04:26.610 --> 00:04:29.643 so this is an important environmental justice issue as well. 79 00:04:32.006 --> 00:04:33.270 The indoor environment can also become 80 00:04:33.270 --> 00:04:35.343 contaminated and impact human health. 81 00:04:36.510 --> 00:04:39.120 Things like secondhand smoke, mold, 82 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.330 pest infestations, allergens and toxins 83 00:04:42.330 --> 00:04:44.430 can all impact health in that environment. 84 00:04:45.960 --> 00:04:47.700 The last two things on this list, 85 00:04:47.700 --> 00:04:50.220 environmental safety and unintentional injuries 86 00:04:50.220 --> 00:04:53.850 and physical hazards, aren't necessarily media 87 00:04:53.850 --> 00:04:57.540 or location specific, but fall under the environmental 88 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:00.003 and occupational health umbrella nonetheless. 89 00:05:01.590 --> 00:05:03.990 Unintentional injuries are one of the leading causes 90 00:05:03.990 --> 00:05:08.730 of deaths for persons aged one to 24 years in the US. 91 00:05:08.730 --> 00:05:12.330 And that includes falls, cuts, burns, 92 00:05:12.330 --> 00:05:15.303 motor vehicle accidents, and other things. 93 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:21.420 Physical hazards can include noise, ionizing radiation, 94 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:24.963 and ergonomics, so even the setup of your office. 95 00:05:29.910 --> 00:05:31.500 The text mentioned several emerging 96 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:33.030 issues in environmental health, 97 00:05:33.030 --> 00:05:35.493 and I've outlined those and a few others here. 98 00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:40.200 First, I think that there's been increasing recognition 99 00:05:40.200 --> 00:05:42.840 of chemical hazards, and that was highlighted 100 00:05:42.840 --> 00:05:44.760 by the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act 101 00:05:44.760 --> 00:05:47.730 that was signed into law in 2016. 102 00:05:47.730 --> 00:05:49.710 The Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act amends 103 00:05:49.710 --> 00:05:53.100 the Toxic Substances Control Act, or TOSCA, 104 00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:55.653 the nation's primary chemicals management law. 105 00:05:57.030 --> 00:05:59.010 The new law included some important improvements, 106 00:05:59.010 --> 00:06:02.910 such as mandatory requirement for the EPA to evaluate 107 00:06:02.910 --> 00:06:06.900 existing chemicals with clear and enforceable deadlines, 108 00:06:06.900 --> 00:06:09.510 risk-based chemical assessments, 109 00:06:09.510 --> 00:06:12.663 and increased public transparency for chemical information. 110 00:06:14.646 --> 00:06:16.920 There's also been a recent push to acknowledge 111 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:20.820 the health benefits of natural spaces and time in nature, 112 00:06:20.820 --> 00:06:23.040 particularly in urban environments, 113 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:25.743 where it can be harder to access such spaces. 114 00:06:28.140 --> 00:06:29.520 There's also been a growing 115 00:06:29.520 --> 00:06:31.680 awareness of the interconnectivity 116 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:33.573 of human health and the environment. 117 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:36.450 There are a couple different emerging fields, 118 00:06:36.450 --> 00:06:40.560 including ecohealth, one health and planetary health, 119 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:43.473 which all address this issue in slightly different ways. 120 00:06:46.140 --> 00:06:47.820 Environmental justice was born 121 00:06:47.820 --> 00:06:49.800 out of the combination of public health 122 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:52.323 with the civil rights and environmental movements. 123 00:06:53.340 --> 00:06:55.680 In the United States, Black communities have 124 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:57.360 been disproportionately located 125 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:01.440 near environmental hazards such as toxic waste sites. 126 00:07:01.440 --> 00:07:04.110 Internationally, environmental injustice is evident 127 00:07:04.110 --> 00:07:07.290 as people in low income countries are exposed 128 00:07:07.290 --> 00:07:09.720 to toxic materials and chemicals 129 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:12.750 during the salvaging and recycling of e-waste, 130 00:07:12.750 --> 00:07:15.540 most of which is from high income countries. 131 00:07:15.540 --> 00:07:18.390 we'll actually return to this example a little bit later. 132 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:22.530 Climate justice is similar in that those people 133 00:07:22.530 --> 00:07:25.320 who are producing the vast majority of the greenhouse gases 134 00:07:25.320 --> 00:07:28.710 fueling climate change are not the same people who are most 135 00:07:28.710 --> 00:07:31.310 likely to suffer from the effects of climate change. 136 00:07:33.930 --> 00:07:36.810 Scientific advances are changing the science 137 00:07:36.810 --> 00:07:38.580 and practice of environmental health. 138 00:07:38.580 --> 00:07:41.490 Molecular tools, including genomics, 139 00:07:41.490 --> 00:07:43.410 provide insights into gene-environment 140 00:07:43.410 --> 00:07:45.573 interactions at the population level. 141 00:07:46.530 --> 00:07:48.780 Researchers are taking advantage of new 142 00:07:48.780 --> 00:07:52.233 sources of data as well, for example mining social media. 143 00:07:54.390 --> 00:07:57.930 Global change, including human population growth, 144 00:07:57.930 --> 00:08:01.500 loss of biodiversity and species extinction, 145 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:06.270 globalization, urbanization, economic inequities, 146 00:08:06.270 --> 00:08:09.840 pollution, land use change, climate change, 147 00:08:09.840 --> 00:08:12.566 and conflict and displacement all present 148 00:08:12.566 --> 00:08:15.153 massive challenges to environmental health. 149 00:08:16.020 --> 00:08:20.100 As such, there is increased focus on sustainability, 150 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:22.710 which according to one definition is the ability 151 00:08:22.710 --> 00:08:25.200 to meet current needs without jeopardizing 152 00:08:25.200 --> 00:08:27.213 the needs of future generations. 153 00:08:31.590 --> 00:08:33.600 Environmental factors can impact health 154 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:35.340 on a wide variety of spatial scales, 155 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:37.533 so I wanted to touch on that quickly here. 156 00:08:38.580 --> 00:08:40.440 For example, radiation can make 157 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:42.780 changes at the molecular level. 158 00:08:42.780 --> 00:08:46.650 A chemical hazard may interact at the cellular level. 159 00:08:46.650 --> 00:08:51.540 A foodborne pathogen affects a person or an organism. 160 00:08:51.540 --> 00:08:54.090 Your workstation and your immediate surroundings 161 00:08:54.090 --> 00:08:57.630 can be either protective or increase 162 00:08:57.630 --> 00:08:59.433 your risk of ergonomic injury. 163 00:09:00.270 --> 00:09:03.210 Multiple factors, for example, wood stoves, 164 00:09:03.210 --> 00:09:07.680 can affect the indoor air quality in your home or building. 165 00:09:07.680 --> 00:09:12.030 Sidewalks and bike paths make a neighborhood walkable. 166 00:09:12.030 --> 00:09:16.230 Affordable and reliable public transportation can reduce 167 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:19.353 metropolitan transportation related air pollution. 168 00:09:21.300 --> 00:09:23.160 Emergency planning for New England 169 00:09:23.160 --> 00:09:25.620 includes planning for flood and ice storms, 170 00:09:25.620 --> 00:09:27.690 two of the natural disasters to which 171 00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:30.273 we are susceptible in this region. 172 00:09:31.650 --> 00:09:34.980 Global treaties are needed to reduce carbon emissions 173 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:36.810 in order to mitigate the most serious 174 00:09:36.810 --> 00:09:38.853 impact of climate change worldwide. 175 00:09:40.530 --> 00:09:45.450 Of course, I've mentioned these spatial scales in isolation, 176 00:09:45.450 --> 00:09:48.333 but some environmental factors work at multiple scales. 177 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:52.170 The foodborne pathogen acts at a cellular level in the gut 178 00:09:52.170 --> 00:09:55.533 to cause systemic illness in an organism, in a human. 179 00:09:56.550 --> 00:09:59.520 Pollution from a coal-fired power plant 180 00:09:59.520 --> 00:10:01.560 in one metropolitan area may cause 181 00:10:01.560 --> 00:10:04.890 regional pollution due to prevailing winds. 182 00:10:04.890 --> 00:10:07.470 So just bear that in mind as we continue 183 00:10:07.470 --> 00:10:10.383 to study environmental health hazards. 184 00:10:12.750 --> 00:10:15.390 Another important consideration that we've touched 185 00:10:15.390 --> 00:10:18.600 on briefly in this presentation is that often environmental 186 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:22.023 health impacts can be displaced in time and space. 187 00:10:23.160 --> 00:10:25.620 Generally, wealthier individuals and groups 188 00:10:25.620 --> 00:10:29.160 have the ability to distance the themselves spatially 189 00:10:29.160 --> 00:10:32.850 and temporarily from the ecological consequences 190 00:10:32.850 --> 00:10:35.730 of their consumption choices, and the impacts 191 00:10:35.730 --> 00:10:38.760 are often shifted to resource poor populations 192 00:10:38.760 --> 00:10:41.553 that are more vulnerable to the adverse consequences. 193 00:10:42.750 --> 00:10:46.290 For example, toxic e-waste, including old phones, 194 00:10:46.290 --> 00:10:49.470 laptops, toys, and other devices 195 00:10:49.470 --> 00:10:52.890 from high income nations is often shipped, whether legally 196 00:10:52.890 --> 00:10:56.043 or illegally, to low income countries. 197 00:10:56.970 --> 00:10:59.820 E-waste can contain hundreds of different materials 198 00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:02.790 and contain toxic substances like lead, 199 00:11:02.790 --> 00:11:06.570 mercury, arsenic and flame retardants. 200 00:11:06.570 --> 00:11:09.270 Once in a landfill, these substances 201 00:11:09.270 --> 00:11:11.070 can leach into the environment. 202 00:11:11.070 --> 00:11:13.680 This is an example of the spatial displacement 203 00:11:13.680 --> 00:11:17.370 of potential impacts, where we are literally moving 204 00:11:17.370 --> 00:11:20.073 the environmental hazard from one location to another. 205 00:11:22.590 --> 00:11:24.330 Climate change is actually a great example 206 00:11:24.330 --> 00:11:27.060 of temporal displacement of environmental health impacts, 207 00:11:27.060 --> 00:11:29.083 because many of the impacts will 208 00:11:29.083 --> 00:11:30.583 be felt by future generations. 209 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:35.220 The links between environmental change and public health 210 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:38.250 are often clearest in poor communities, 211 00:11:38.250 --> 00:11:40.050 but wealthy communities can't completely 212 00:11:40.050 --> 00:11:42.123 avoid all of the adverse impacts. 213 00:11:47.340 --> 00:11:50.430 To wrap up this brief introduction to environmental health, 214 00:11:50.430 --> 00:11:53.310 I wanted to leave you with a list of a few resources 215 00:11:53.310 --> 00:11:56.400 that you might find helpful throughout the semester. 216 00:11:56.400 --> 00:11:58.080 The first is the National Institute 217 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:01.350 of Environmental Health Sciences, and I suggest 218 00:12:01.350 --> 00:12:03.810 that you Google this and visit their website. 219 00:12:03.810 --> 00:12:08.460 Also, the CDC'S National Center for Environmental Health, 220 00:12:08.460 --> 00:12:11.163 and the WHO's Environmental Health website.