BY FARIHA ESHRAT, MBBS
Have you ever considered how the air you breathe, the water you drink and the ground you walk on affect your health? In this article, we explore this field of healthcare in connection with your environment.
Every day, the environment around you influences your health and the health of those around you in countless ways. Exposure to polluted air and water can cause numerous adverse health effects ranging from digestive diseases to asthma and much more. According to the World Health Organization’s report, nearly a quarter of all diseases can be linked to the environment. This means that being mindful of our surroundings and how we interact with them should be an essential part of our healthcare plans.
Environmental health is the science of pursuing a safer and healthier planet by educating the public, safeguarding employees at workplaces, creating knowledge through research, redesigning cities to fit environmentally friendly plans, ensuring sustainable and safe products for human consumption, impacting public policy to address all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person that can potentially affect health such as food safety, noise pollution, and more.
Here are some environmental effects on your health that you should be mindful of:
1. Air pollution can cause different respiratory conditions. The use of car filters and the separation of industrial zones from residential areas has been highly impactful in reducing these risks. Avoiding smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke, keeping plants at home or at your work desk and taking walks in nature over weekends or whenever possible are other great ways to ensure healthier air exposure.
2. Unsafe water consumption can cause gastrointestinal conditions. Make sure to drink bottled or filtered water. Also, check the chlorination of your swimming pools as both water with too much and too little chlorine can cause health risks to your skin and hair.
3. Mosquitoes, ticks and other insects are vectors for many diseases. They can arise from waterlogged areas at home and are present in tropical climates and outdoor spaces when you travel. Be sure to always research or ask locals about what disease-vector insects are common in their area and how they present them while traveling. Wearing long sleeved clothing and sleeping with bed nets are good for camping and outdoor trips, and while insect repellent sprays and creams are also useful, be sure to patch test on your skin first to check for any adverse reactions.
4. Ultraviolet light (UV) exposure is important to control your risk of malignant skin growths. There is an understanding that those with low sunlight exposure will develop Vitamin D deficiency, however the consumption of Vitamin D rich foods is often sufficient. Therefore, make sure to apply a sunscreen of SPF 30+ and reapply it every two hours to prevent sun exposure-related adverse effects.
5. Second-hand smoke exposure has been linked to low birthweight in infants and asthma/ear infections in young children, along with the array of heart and lung diseases adults can experience from it. Avoiding exposure can benefit the health of all.
6. Exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic in water, lead in paints and housing established before the 19th century have been linked to many diseases. Although these are often well regulated here, during your travels be sure to ask the locals and neighbors of possible heavy metal poisoning sources or avoid booking housing in underdeveloped areas of the city.
7. Ergonomics is an important part of how you interact with your environment. While arranging your home or workplace, ensure your most used items are kept between eye to waist level for easy access and avoiding arm sprains. While lifting heavy items, be sure to squat instead of bending forward to avoid back injuries. While taking down heavy items, be mindful of using a ladder or chair instead of stretching and causing muscular injuries. Finally, an ergonomic sitting arrangement such as this can help you prevent many short-term and long-term discomfort. Start being mindful of the spaces you live in and work at so that you can maintain a healthy mind and body that is ready to take in the challenges of everyday life.
8. Social environmental health is how you interact with those around you, your family, friends and colleagues. Open communication, honesty and clearly divided responsibilities are often able to create the healthiest social environments. However, mutual kindness, compassion and care are necessary for all interactions and whenever you feel unmatched, expressing even your slightest frustrations in clear words can go a long way in alleviating most situations.
The environment broadly includes everything external to ourselves, including the physical, natural, social and behavioral environments. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and is not merely the absence of disease or illness. The government here has ensured safe water, air and has high food safety standards which has drastically improved environmental health over the last century. We hope you are able to thrive in environments most conducive to your benefit.
REFERENCES
1. Barton H, Grant M. 2006. A health map for the local human habitat. The Journal for the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 126(6): 252–261. doi: 10.1177/1466424006070466
2. Resnik DB, Portier CJ. 2008. Environment and Health. In M Crowley (Ed.), From Birth to Death and Bench to Clinic: The Hastings Center Bioethics Briefing Book for Journalists, Policymakers, and Campaigns (pp. 59–62). Garrison, NY: The Hastings Center.
3. Prüss-Üstün A, Corvalán C. 2006. Preventing Disease Through Healthy Environments. Towards an estimate of the environmental burden of disease. Geneva: World Health Organization.
4. DEOHS Department. 2020. Environmental Health. Washington University. https://deohs.washington.edu/environmental-health
5. 2020. Office Ergonomics. MayoClinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-ergonomics/art-20046169
ABOUT FARIHA ESHRAT, MBBS
Fariha Eshrat is a medical doctor with an interest in writing, media and PR. Fariha enjoys covering health topics and is currently a junior faculty at Alfaisal University. She has been an editorial and marketing team contributor at DQ Living since 2017.
Instagram: @_eshrat
Email: feshrat@alfaisal.edu
