Enviro Health

EnviroHealth Expert
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How can the environment make you sick?
Throughout history, humans have been exposed to environmental risk: natural disasters like floods and earthquakes, extremes of heat and cold, and naturally occurring poisons. As our technology has become more complex, however, and as development has encroached on nature, new threats have arisen from the changing environment. Some of the threats are direct and immediate: acute carbon monoxide posioning from misuse of indoor combustion appliances, for example. Other threats are more insidious, and may take many years before their effects are shown. We are exposed to numerous chemical pollutants in the air, water and the food we eat, and to radiation from electrical appliances, radioactive substances and UV rays – which are increasingly implicated in raised risk for illnesses like cancer, and reproductive and developmental problems.

What are “heavy metals”?
“Heavy metals” are those with high density. They are often implicated in human poisoning, particularly lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. Some heavy metals, such as zinc, copper and chromium, are required by the body in small amounts, but large doses are toxic. Environmental sources of heavy metals include air emissions from coal burning plants, smelters and waste incinerators, and wastes from mining and industry. We can be exposed to heavy metals through air pollution, and contaminated food, water and soil. Health effects include retarded development, cancers, organ damage and autoimmune problems, and death in severe cases.

What is “environmental health”?
Throughout history, humans have been exposed to environmental risk: natural disasters like floods and earthquakes, extremes of heat and cold, and naturally occurring poisons. As our technology has become more complex, however, and as development has encroached on nature, new threats have arisen from the changing environment. Some of the threats are direct and immediate: acute carbon monoxide posioning from misuse of indoor combustion appliances, for example. Other threats are more insidious, and may take many years before their effects are shown. We are exposed to numerous chemical pollutants in the air, water and the food we eat, and to radiation from electrical appliances, radioactive substances and UV rays – which are increasingly implicated in raised risk for illnesses like cancer, and reproductive and developmental problems.

What is sick building syndrome?
"Sick building syndrome" is when people who regularly occupy a building experience symptoms (such as headache, dizziness or a cough) that occur mainly when they spend time there. The cause of sick building syndrome is thought to be various indoor air quality problems, such as poor ventilation, faulty air conditioning systems and chemical pollutants.

Do cell phones give you cancer?
We don’t know for sure yet; people haven’t been using cellphones long enough for us to be sure of the health effects. So far there is no overwhelming evidence that cell phones cause brain tumours, or other serious health effects in humans. Nevertheless, studies have turned up enough disturbing findings to warrant caution in how much we use cell phones. For example, it appears that cell phone use causes temporary raised blood pressure in blood vessels in the head, which may be dangerous for people at risk for stroke or heart attack. Other studies have found that cell phone radiation causes cell damage in animal test subjects. Medical experts are particularly concerned about the long-term effects of cell phone use on children’s developing brains.

Is the earth really getting hotter? And, if so, will it really make that much of a difference?
The general consensus among climate change experts is: Yes, the heat is on. And even an increase of a few degrees could have serious repercussions for human and planetary health.

What causes acid rain?
"Acid rain" is rain (or any other kind of precipitation) that is abnormally acidic. The acid in acid rain comes from sulphur and nitrogen oxides – air pollutants emitted by (among other sources) motor vehicle exhaust and coal combustion. These pollutants combine with water vapour in the atmosphere to form sulphuric and nitric acid, which fall to the ground when it rains. Acid rain can contaminate drinking water, damage vegetation and aquatic life, reduce soil fertility and erode buildings.

What is multiple chemical sensitivity?
“Multiple chemical sensitivity” means that a person is hypersensitive to chemicals in the environment. The condition is associated with various chronic ‘flu-like or allergy-like symptoms, as a result of exposure to chemical levels that are below those known to normally harm health. Multiple chemical sensitivity is a highly controversial issue; many medical experts feel that evidence to prove its existence is still insufficient.

If we’ve stopped producing CFCs, then why do we still need to worry about the ozone hole?
It will take many years for the ozone hole to heal. Since the phaseout of ozone-depleting compounds (like CFCs), the atmospheric concentrations of many of these gases are either increasing more slowly or decreasing. However, ozone levels are likely to be lower than pre-depletion levels for several decades.