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 Faculty of Health Sciences - sbf@gelisim.edu.tr

Child Development








 The effects of environmental health on human health on 5 June World Environment Day


Istanbul Gelisim University Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Child Development of Head, Public Health Specialist Assistant Professor Nurten Elkin talked about the effects of environmental health on human health on 5 June World Environment Day.,


Environment; It is a physical, chemical, biological, social, economic and cultural environment in which people and all other living things maintain their relationships and interact with each other throughout their lives. Environmental pollution basically occurs in the form of air, soil and water pollution in nature and ultimately affects the entire ecosystem, including humans. As a result of the negativities arising as a result of industrialization, the development of technology and population growth, nature and the environment are affected, and the size of pollution is increasing rapidly day by day. Whether in urban or rural areas, air, soil and water, which are our natural resources, are polluted for various reasons, harming plant and animal existence, as well as negatively affecting human health through the food chain. The nature we live in has its own unique physical, chemical and biological properties. Considering these features, we can classify environmental pollution as physical, chemical and biological pollution. Air, soil and water pollution can be a direct cause of disease, as well as facilitate the spread of some diseases or affect the course of some diseases.
 
Air pollution
The quality of the air we breathe has a direct impact on our health. The air we breathe contains nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO2). In addition to these, there is about 0.25% water vapor in the air we breathe. In this mixture, the most important gas for humans is oxygen. Not only the presence of polluting gases in the air, but also the lack of oxygen and the change in the proportions of gases in the composition of normal air are called air pollution. Population growth, the growth of cities, the intensification of transportation, and the development of industry bring about an increase in air pollution, and the effects of the content of the inhaled air increasingly continue. While pollutants arising from traffic, transportation, industry and heating are the most important factors of air pollution; meteorological events, topographic structure, chemical transformation processes also have negative effects on air pollution and climate. Air pollution; may be caused by natural activities or human activities. For example, natural activities such as forest fires and lightning cause an increase in the nitrogen content of the atmosphere. On the other hand, fires lit for various purposes, occurring fires, smoke from factory and house chimneys, and exhaust gases from vehicles cause the release of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitric acid in large quantities into the air. Therefore, gas emissions, whether naturally or man-made, can cause pollution by changing the gas ratios in the atmosphere. Millions of people around the world are exposed to air pollutants above legally safe standard concentrations. Air pollution ranks eighth among mortality risk factors and is responsible for 2.5% of deaths in developing countries. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes more than three million unexpected deaths annually. The development of technology and thus the increase in energy consumption, the increase in the population and the need for heating, the growth of cities, the widespread use of motor vehicles and the expansion in the industrial industry are the main causes of air pollution. Air pollution; It causes an increase in ischemic heart diseases, regression in lung development, decrease in respiratory functions, increase in respiratory system symptoms, exacerbation of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As a result, it may cause an increase in hospital admissions and an increase in the cardiopulmonary death rate. It causes direct damage by affecting cellular, molecular and inflammatory pathways in neurological systems or increases susceptibility to central nervous system-related diseases.
 
Soil Pollution
Soil is an indispensable natural resource, together with air and water, for the survival of living natural resources. Soil pollution is the deterioration of the physical, chemical, biological and geological structure of the soil as a result of human activities. It is stated that the pollution in question arises as a result of wrong agricultural techniques, using wrong and excessive fertilizers and agricultural pesticides, and leaving waste and residues, toxic and dangerous substances to the soil. Today, it is a fact that soil pollution has become a global problem. Generally, the soil is caused by many reasons such as poor hygiene habits, excessive use of pesticides in agriculture, inadequacies in the disposal of solid and liquid wastes, unplanned urbanization, livestock wastes, industrial and mining wastes, use of untreated polluted water for irrigation in agricultural land, radioactive pollution and air pollution fallout. pollution occurs. As a result of these factors, human health is adversely affected as a result of the contamination of vegetables and fruits grown on soils contaminated with heavy metals and pastures where animals graze. Soil pollution is pollution that cannot be removed in nature and cannot be recycled. The end point of both air pollution and water pollution in nature is soil pollution.
Water pollution
More than two-thirds of the human body is water. Some diseases pose a great danger to human health by causing a decrease in body water. For example, the most important cause of death in diarrhea is water loss. Water is the main component of blood and tissue fluids in our body. Water is needed for the execution of all physiological events that occur in our body. It is necessary to ensure that the water, which is of vital importance, is used without contamination, harmful chemicals and disease-causing microorganisms. In the same way, it is important for health to remove the water that is used and becomes waste in a way that does not harm people. It is possible for the water and other wastes used in regions with unfavorable infrastructure to reach streams, seas and even lakes directly. This situation leads to the pollution of surface and underground waters and the water, which is of vital importance, to reach a dangerous level for health. Water pollution; industrial, domestic, agricultural and thermal. Industrial pollution: Power plants, steel mills, paper mills, refinery and automobile factories, chemical production factories, textile factories. Domestic pollution: Sewage and garbage are the leading factors of domestic pollution. Detergents containing large amounts of phosphate and nitrate are also among the household waste. Agricultural pollution: Chemical fertilizers used to increase production in agriculture, some chemicals used to fight insects and pesticides can pass into the soil with rain water, pollute groundwater, and chemical substances reaching streams can cause the end of life in streams. Thermal pollution: Water used for cooling of machinery in nuclear reactors, power plants and other industrial areas causes thermal pollution. Diseases Associated with Water; It can be in the form of diseases caused by water, caused by the absence of water, transmitted by aquatic organisms and transmitted by vectors associated with water.
 
      As a result, the environment is a physical, chemical, biological, social, economic and cultural environment in which people and other living things maintain their relationships and interact with each other throughout their lives. Air, soil and water, which are necessary for our life, are of great importance for our health. Therefore, maintaining a healthy life is only possible with a healthy environment.