comm test 2: environment
two pollutants in the air what affect asthma
ozone and particle pollution.
four major categories of toxic substances:
pesticides, industrial chemicals, metals, and substances with radiation-emitting isotopes
Chemical hazards
poisons, air and water pollution
Pollution of the environment occurs when
pollutants overwhelm the capacity of the environment to assimilate them without being thrown out of balance.
nurses should Approach environmental health at the __________ level
population
it can be said that pollution is a result of??
population growth
pollution is a *rate* function involving a quantity of pollutant introduced over a period of time. This rate is *directly* correlated with???
population size.
Must eradicate ________ for improvement in children's health and nutrition.
poverty
Which statement best describes the relationship between the environment and health? (A) Research shows that a healthy environment has potential to increase quality of life and years of healthy living. (B) Because the environment has such longterm effects on health, research findings are not yet available. (C) Research shows that a healthy environment has limited impact on one's health. (D) Because of the large number of variables involved, the relationships between environment and health cannot be researched.
(A) Research shows that a healthy environment has potential to increase quality of life and years of healthy living.
______ of all cancers are caused by ______ factors
- 2/3 - environmental
health hazards of ionizing radiation
- Birth defects, increased rates of cancer, stroke, diabetes, CV and renal disease, immune system damage - non- ionizing radiation leaks from microwaves that are not sealed properly can cause fatigue and headache
Nursing Interventions: tertiary prevention
- Eliminate Lead from a residence to prevent re-exposure to child who tested positive to lead - Eliminate asbestos from a residence to prevent continued exposure - Participate in activities to reduce environmental hazards Participate in political activity that reduces environmental hazards
Mercury
- Heavy Metal - powerful neurotoxin - found in paint and some traditional medicinal remedies - Symptoms of mercury poisoning: listlessness and irritability - Concentrates in the kidneys, liver, and brain currently some hospitals are trying to eliminate the use of products containing mercury
Arsenic
- Heavy metal - found in pesticides, herbicides, and some OTC poisons - Causes N/V/D and abdominal pain
nursing interventions: secondary prevention
- Monitor for signs of hazardous environmental issues, blood lead screening, testing water for nitrates - Assess for signs for illness related to environmental exposures *Asthma(smog & second-hand smoke) *Hearing loss (noise exposure) *Lung cancer (particulate and smog pollution) - Treat and monitor disorders caused by environmental conditions
Noise
- Physical Hazard - affects hearing, and prolonged exposure contributes to anxiety and emotional stress - May cause insomnia, skin problems, swollen ankles, and heart disorders - Common sources of noise pollution: industries, vehicles, subways, loud music
environmental issues affecting health
- Physical hazards (Radiation, Lead, Heavy Metals, Noise) - Biological hazards (Infectious agents, insects, animals, and plants) - Chemical hazards (Air and Water Pollution)
nursing interventions: primary preventions
- Reduce environmental hazards, with use of enforcement of legal codes/ standards - Public education projects on pesticide use - Public education on reduce standing water to prevent mosquitos - Promote immunizations to minimize diseases caused by biologic agents - Education of environmental hazards, ear plugs, masks, PPE
Industrial chemicals ex
- asbestos, benzene, vinyl chloride, and PCBs - Industrial chemicals are particularly numerous, and a few have proven especially dangerous
point source pollution
- comes from a specific source, like a pipe - factories, industry, municipal treatment plants - can be monitored and controlled by a permit system
Lead
- considered by EPA as the *greatest chemical risk to health* - heavy metal - neurotoxin - can lead to learning disabilities in children
three common sense observations that are frequently overlooked
- everything is connected to everything else, but somethings are connected more tightly than others - everything has to go somewhere - everything is constantly changing
U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
- fund state departments of health to work with local public health units to conduct lead screenings - develop and enforce regulations on environmental law. - give grants - study environmental issues - sponsor partnerships - teach people about the environment - publish info
Biological Hazards
- infectious agents, insects, animals, and plants - Common indoor biologic pollutants: animal dander, dust mites, cockroach parts, fungi/mold, bacteria, viruses, pollen
Poisoning
- occurs through cumulative exposure to insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and rodenticides - Exposure can occur at work on farms and in industry, in home through accidental ingestion, and from eating animals that have been exposed
Ionizing radiation
- physical hazard - found naturally in soil and rock and building materials such as granite. X rays, nuclear power emissions and nuclear weapons are also forms of ionizing radiation
nonpoint source pollution
- pollution associated with stormwater or runoff - pollution cannot be traced to a direct discharge point such as a wastewater treatment facility - cannot pinpoint any one particular source
Biomagnification
- results when the accumulation of a pollutant greatly exceeds the rate at which an organism eliminates it. - The pollutant is concentrated in organisms at a low trophic level, where it is further concentrated and passed on to the third level, and so on..
Synergism pollution mechanisms
- simultaneous action of separate substances or agencies that together produce a greater total effect than the sum of their individual effects - Actions differ from lab and natural ecosystems
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. - Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. - increases the health security of our nation As the nation's health protection agency, - protects people from health threats. To accomplish our mission - conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.
without an ozone layer in the atmosphere which health risks are expected to occur?
-skin cancer incidences would increase and more fatalities would occur in the US from every year because of UV radiation -UV light exposure contributes to cataracts and depression of the immune system
air pollution kills approximately __________ people each year
3 million
Each household in the United States produces approximately ________ of solid waste weekly.
87 gallons 30-40% of this waste comes from packing materials
When using an environmental perspective, which of the following would be the most important question for a nurse to ask when assessing potential health problems? A) "Can you tell me how you have been feeling?" B) "Can you tell me what you do at work?" C) "What brings you here today? D) "What problems have you been having?"
B) "Can you tell me what you do at work?"
Tertiary prevention for workers in the paper mills that have high rates of men with testicular cancer might include: a) Teaching testicular self-examination to all employees of the paper mills including provision of written instructions B) Examining all toxic substances emitted by wood processing for carcinogenic properties and lobbying to stop the use of the toxic substances C) Instituting support groups for men with testicular cancer and their families D) Encouraging a statewide boycott of all products supplied by the paper mills
C) Instituting support groups for men with testicular cancer and their families
Lead exposure in children is considered one of the greatest environmental health risks to young children. In which of the follow situations can children be exposed to lead? a) Exposure to car emissions B) Exposure to a can of paint recently bought at Home Depot C) Exposure to paint in home of brand new construction D) Exposure to poor air quality due to coal burning
D) Exposure to poor air quality due to coal burning
Four pesticides that have been banned from further use in the United States:
DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, and chlordane.
emerging issues in environmental health
Environmental public health infrastructure Natural disasters Global climate change Ozone depletion Fossil fuel burning Marine dumping Active land mine abandonment in war-torn areas Destruction of tropical rain forests
law of gravity
Everything that goes up, including pollutants, must come down, and everything dumped on the surface of the earth must ultimately flow downhill. Water and even land masses, such as mountains, move slowly to the sea.
Community health nurses are concerned with the impact of the environment on health because the environment:
Is a highly complex interaction between the host and all external factors
individual component of social ecological model
ones own knowledge, attitude and behaviors
What is synergism?
The simulation action of separate substances or agencies that together produce a greater total effect than the sum of their individual effects
organizational components of social ecological model
organizations and social institutions
(T/F) The overall health of our world effects our current health and the overall health of the population. Is this a true or false statement?
True
Ecological Model
a model that represents or describes the relationships between the components of an ecological system
biomagnification pollution mechanism
accumulation greatly exceeds elimination
accumulation of wastes and their environmental effects result in planetary toxification. Contributing factors include
air pollution water pollution acid rain accumulation of solid hazardous wastes.
Indoor air pollution is most severe in buildings that are?
airtight and designed for energy conservation
Particulate matter (PM)
also known as particle pollution, is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets that get into the air. Once inhaled, these particles can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects
metals that have been proven to be toxic to the environment
arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury
air pollution contributing factors:
automobiles, large industries, small businesses (dry cleaners, household products, geography, urbanization)
The concentration of contaminants present as an organism moves up the food chain is referred to as:
bioaccumulation
health effects of water pollution
bladder and colorectal cancers, CNS effects, skin irritation, *alopecia,* peripheral neuropathies, seizures, hepatitis and cirrhosis, infertility, congenital anomalies, *developmental disabilities*, anemia, renal failure, heart disease, gastritis
Florence Nightingale (1969) emphasized the importance of??
clean and safe environments for proper recovery to health. Her emphasis was on pure air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness, and light.
increase in temp has
contributed to an increase in certain vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever; heat related mortalities, premature labors
interpersonal component of social ecological model
family, friends, social networks
Cadmium
found in water supplies owing to contamination from rechargeable batteries Causes N/V/D and prostration (extreme weakness) Exposure to small quantities causes kidney damage and bone demineralization
Environment influences the??
growth, health, and longevity of populations
particle pollution found in
haze, smoke, and dust (increases when the weather is calm and pollutants are able to build up in the air. levels are highest near busy roads, during rush-hour traffic, near factories, and when there is smoke from wood fires in stoves or fireplaces and burning vegetation)
which factor is a health affect of a local environmental health problem
higher leukemia rates in the ship channel
for one to fully understand human ecology one must understand
human activities and the environment
Social Ecological Model
individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, public policy
Biodegradable pollutants can be rapidly decomposed by natural processes unless?
input exceeds decomposition or dispersal capacity.
bioaccumulation pollution mechanism
intro into food webs
Physical hazards include
ionizing radiation, lead, heavy metals, noise
primary barrier to wellness
lack of basic needs
Pesticides
lethal chemicals specifically designed to kill weeds, fungi, insects, mites, rodents, and other pests.
Health problems such as heavy ________ and ________ can result from exposure to toxic wastes from illegal dumping.
metal poisoning and infectious disease
Nonbiogenic chemical transformations are (more/ less) common in the environment
more
policy/enabling environment component of social ecological model
national, state and local laws
most significant toxic substances in both prevalence and severity
neurotoxins (insecticides, lead, mercury, etc..)
examples of nonpoint source pollution
oil & grease from cars fertilizers animal waste grass clippings septic systems sewage Litter household cleaning products
ecologic model
proposes a framework from which to study and understand a phenomenon. The environment surrounds people wherever they go, whatever they do. An ecologic approach to the study of human health relates the biologic, physical, sociocultural, and politicoeconomic components of an individual's environment to any deviation from a state of health. The model can be applied to study the health of any defined subpopulation (e.g., infants, children, adolescents, and the elderly).
environmental health
refers to freedom from illness or injury related to exposure to toxic agents and other environmental conditions that are potentially detrimental to human health ... all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person ... encompasses assessment and control of environmental factors that can affect health. ... targeted to prevent disease and create health-supportive environments.
bioaccumulation
refers to the introduction of substances into ecologic food webs
community component of social ecological model
relationships between organizations
health effects of air pollution
respiratory disorders, eye irritation, fatigue, headaches
World Health Organization (WHO)
responsible of directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations'
Health effects of poisonings
sarcomas, lymphomas, myelomas, and *respiratory and prostate cancers*
ozone is found in
smog (worse on hot summer days and early in the evening)
substances with isotopes that emit various types of radiation such as
strontium, cesium, and iodine.
transformation pollution mechanism
substance transforms
ex of nonbiogenic transformation
the conversion of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acids and, eventually, acid rain
bioaccumulation ex
the radionuclides of strontium and cesium, whose chemical behaviors are analogous to those of calcium and potassium, respectively, are introduced into the environment by nuclear reactors and represent a potential health hazard.
anticipated risk =
toxicity of substance and expected exposure to organism
ex of transformation of a pollutant that is relatively harmless but is transformed into a noxious form
transformation of metallic or inorganic mercury, which is relatively immobile, into methylmercury by microorganisms living in aquatic sediments - Methylmercury is readily incorporated into detrital food chains, which may terminate with human consumption of contaminated fish and shellfish, producing the neurologic disorder known as Minamata disease.
sources of lead
vehicle emissions, *burning coal*, decomposition of solid waste
transport pollution mechanism
wind or aquatic systems