ENV 526 :

Environmental Health and Safety Studies

Introduction to Environmental
Health and Safety
Physical Factors in Environment
Assessment
Physical Factors in EA
• Hazards can present themselves to us in various
media e.g. air, water, food.
- The influence on our health is very complex and may be
modulated by our genetic make up, psychological factors
and by our risk perceptions they present.
- Generally environmental health hazards deal with extremes
of climate, occupational hazards, hazards associated with
food, most "accidents" or sexually transmitted disease.
- Health effects from economic and social consequences
of environmental change should be considered.
 Associations between an exposure and an
adverse health effect do not, on their own, prove
that the former is the cause of the latter.
- Many other non-causal associations could explain
the findings.
- These concerns may well be "hedged" even though
we might have formed impressions from other
sources that some postulated causal associations
have been proven.
Physical Factors Affecting Ecosystems

Physical Weathering
Erosion
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Climate
Sunlight/Amount
Precipitation/Temperature
Water/Specific Heat
Lightning
Chemical Factors Affecting Ecosystems
Salts and Ions
Chemical Weathering
Succession http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
• Physical Hazards – Many definitions…

A chemical is a physical hazard if it:

• is likely to burn or support fire;

• may explode or release high pressures that can

inflict body injury; or

• can spontaneously react on its own, or when

exposed to water.

http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/GHD100203.html#17
• A chemical is a physical hazard by definition if

there is scientifically valid evidence that it is :

• a flammable or combustible liquid,

• compressed gas,

• organic peroxide explosive,

• oxidizer,

• pyrophoric & unstable material (reactive) and

• water reactive material.

http://www.twu.edu/rm/ehs/chemicalhygiene.html
 Determine the methods of EA
sampling and measurements.
• Sampling :
a). Random
b). Purposive
• Assessment of physical hazards :
a). Qualitative measurements
b). Quantitative measurements
Interactions with humans and the
environment…

What effects can the Environment

have on Health?
 Protection of the human
environment
• Environmental health comprises those
aspects of human health,
– including quality of life, that are
determined by
• physical,
• chemical,
• biological,
• social, and
• psychosocial factors in the environment.
http://www.who.int/heli/en/
 Protection of the human
environment
• Environmental health also refers to
– the theory and practice of
• assessing,
• correcting,
• controlling, and
• preventing
– those factors in the environment that can
potentially affect adversely the health of present
and future generations
http://www.who.int/heli/en/
 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
PRIORITY RISKS
1) Vector-borne disease

2) The urban environment

3) Indoor air pollution and household energy

4) Water, health and ecosystems

5) Climate change

6) Toxic substances

7) Priority risks/maps
http://www.who.int/heli/en/
 Interactions with humans and the
environment
The environment in which we live can be
considered as having three fundamental sets
of components:
• Physical [energy of one form or another ]
• Chemical [ matter i.e. substances whether
natural or man-made ]
• Biological [ living things ].

http://www.agius.com/hew/resource/introeh.htm
 Interactions with humans and the
environment

Why the Environment

has an impact on Human Health?
http://www.agius.com/hew/resource/introeh.htm
 Physical Hazards, and their Adverse Health Effects

• Environmental consequences of global warming,

on man will probably be affected through famine, or
war long before the health of the population as a
whole is harmed to a serious degree by the
temperature changes.
• Increasing extremes of temperature, as a
result of climatic change, could result in increased
morbidity and mortality even in temperate
climates.
 Physical Hazards, and their Adverse Health Effects
• Important issues concerning physical hazards
include those relating to health effects of
electromagnetic radiation and ionising radiation.
• In non-occupational environment, noise and other
physical hazards may present a nuisance to many
inhabitants, and impair general well being.
• Environmental noise does not usually contribute to
deafness but notable exceptions may include
noisy discotheques and "personal stereos".
• The scientific evidence of adverse health

effects from general environmental

exposure to these fields is "not proven".

• If there are adverse effects yet to be proven,

the risk is probably likely to be very small.

Environmental Physical
Hazards

http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
Physical Factors
- Physical Weathering

http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
 Physical Weathering
• Establishes biotic communities by helping large
rocks break into smaller pieces without
changing the kinds of minerals in the rocks.
• It can be compared to tearing a piece of paper
into small pieces.
• The atoms in the tiny pieces of paper are the
same as those in a large piece of paper.
• Physical combined with chemical weathering
help to form the soil.
• Soil is the basis of all life on a planet.
http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
Erosion

http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
Erosion:
• is a natural process of nature that carries earth's materials

from one place to another.

• Sometimes, this destroys an ecosystem if the good topsoil

is carried away.

• Sometimes it results in the formation of a new ecosystem

as it brings new topsoil into an area that was previously

barren or had another kind of soil on it.

http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
Earthquakes

http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
 Earthquakes
- Break up rocks into smaller pieces, thus helping the
process of weathering and the formation of soil
- Earthquakes can change the direction of rivers,
thus changing the location of water availability.
- Earthquakes can cause underground sources of
crude oil to come to the surface of the earth
(Southern California, 1992).
- Oil can kill organisms in biotic communities directly
and by poisoning their water supplies.
- Earthquakes can destroy habitats of organisms either
through direct destruction from the shaking or indirectly
through falling objects (rocks) or tsunami (a large wave)
flooding and destroying plant and animal life when it hits
land.
http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
Volcanoes
 Volcanoes

Effects of volcanic eruptions on the biotic community

http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
 Volcanoes
• Volcanoes throw out the chemicals, sulfur
dioxide, hydrochloric and nitric acid gases.
• Sulfur dioxide becomes sulfurous acid in the
atmosphere.
• These gases cause acid deposition (rain, snow,
fog, dust).
• The acid is 40-100 times more concentrated than
the normal carbonic acid rain (from carbon
dioxide).
• Acid rain speeds up chemical weathering (the
breakdown of rocks by chemicals),
http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
 Volcanoes
• Dissolves toxic metals from rocks and, if a source of
water
is nearby,
• Poisons water supplies for the organisms living in that
community
• The volcanic ash is blown high into the stratosphere.
• Large eruptions, such as Mt. Pinatubo (Philippines) in
1992 can alter the climate.
• The ash will circle the globe high in the sky and can cause
temperatures to drop by an average of 1-2 degrees
celsius.
• This happens because the volcanic ash reflects the
sunlight away from earth.
http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch041.htm
Volcanic ash can serve as condensation nuclei
(little particles around which clouds can form).
Increased clouds can also cool the temperature of the earth.
There also may be increased precipitation (rain) :
• Volcanic ash is sharp and can cut through the outer shells
of insects, killing them.
• Volcanic ash can cover biotic communities.
• Possible changes in vegetation or loss of plant life can
occur if it is thick enough.
• When snow is rapidly melted from high volcanoes during
an eruption, flooding with ash can destroy biotic
communities, tearing out trees, stripping areas of all

vegetation.
• Lava flows can cover and destroy habitats and
organisms.
• This forces new biotic communities to develop
which requires many years to develop into a stable
community the hot wind from a volcanic eruption
can push down millions of trees and instantly
kill all life in the path of the wind.
• Volcanic eruptions in oceans can form new islands
and a pioneer community (see below) where the
process of succession begins forming a new
ecosystem.
Climate

The Effect of Climate on Communities

and Populations
• Climate is controlled by the average
temperature and amount of rainfall in a
particular area.
• It affects:
a) What can grow..
b) How fast it will grow…
• Higher temperatures and rainfall amounts
give faster growth of organisms.
• The lower the temperature (or less rainfall)
the slower an organism grows.
c) How many different species can grow?
• The lower the temperature the number of species

that can grow in an area decreases.

• The same can be said if there are extreme

highs in temperature and deficiencies in rainfall.

 Sunlight

Effect of sunlight/amount on communities and populations

1) Without sunlight, photosynthesis could not

go on and all life on earth would die and

almost all oxygen and nitrogen would

disappear from the atmosphere. Carbon

dioxide and other greenhouse gases would

increase and the temperature of the planet

would be too high to sustain life.

2) The amount of sunlight falling on any
particular place on earth depends on the
angle of the sun in the sky at mid-day
(which is governed by the tilt of the earth
and its position around the sun). The more
sunlight that hits the earth and the more
directly it arrives at that area of the planet.
This results in a higher temperature.
Organisms grow more rapidly at higher
temperatures.
3) A third aspect that controls the amount of

sun in a given place on the earth at a given

time is whether a solar eclipse has caused a

partial or complete shadow to fall on the

earth.
Temperature

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITIES

Precipitation

EFFECT OF PRECIPITATION ON POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITIES

Precipitation and Temperature

BOTTOM OF EACH DRAWING :

Rainfall (centimeters per year) 0 to 110 inches of rainfall per year.
Precipitation and Temperature

TOP DRAWING :

Hot Temperature, Hot Desert, Short, Grassland, Tall,

Tropical Forests.

EFFECT OF PRECIPITATION AND

TEMPERATURE ON POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITIES
Precipitation and Temperature
MIDDLE DRAWING :

Moderate Temperature, Moderate Desert,

Short, Grassland, Tall, Deciduous Forest.

EFFECT OF PRECIPITATION AND

TEMPERATURE ON POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITIES
Precipitation and Temperature
BOTTOM DRAWING :
Cool Temperature, Cool
Desert, Short, Grassland, Tall,
Spruce/fir forests.

EFFECT OF PRECIPITATION AND

TEMPERATURE ON POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITIES
 Precipitation and Temperature
• The drawings are divided into hot climate, moderate climate and cool
climates.
• Rainfall is very low at the left of each of the three drawings and
increases as the drawing moves toward the right (rainfall amount
begins at 10 cm per year at the left and ends at 110 cm at the far right of
each drawing.
• Compare what happens to vegetation/ trees at each temperature range
when the amount of rainfall increases.
• Compare what happens to the vegetation of each biome (desert,
grassland and forests) at similar rainfall amounts but at different
temperatures.
• Temperature changes correlate to higher altitudes (as one goes from
warm to cool) or changing longitudes (farther away from the equator
towards the Antarctic or Arctic regions).
 Water (Specific Heat)

Effect of Water/Specific Heat on Communities and Populations

• Water has the highest specific heat (ability to hold heat

energy per unit mass) of any substance on earth:

1) It has the best capacity to keep air cool around large

bodies of water during the summer (due to large amounts

of heat absorbed by water- for evaporation).

- During the night, the large amounts of heat in the water

are released to the air, keeping the average temperature

warmer.

- Visit the sea coast on a cold, foggy and rainy day

and experience the difference.

2) It releases large amounts of heat energy into the air when
it
condenses as clouds or precipitation.
- As a result, the climate is moderated (no extreme
deviations in temperature from the average temperature
of the area)
3) Land has a very low specific heat.
- This means that it heats up quickly during the day and
cools quickly at night.
- This uneven heating gives rise to land and sea or lake
breezes.
- The winds bring in the atmospheric conditions from
Lightning
• Lightning can cause forest and brush fires.

• Although these factors can completely change

communities (destroy habitats, kill organisms),

they are part of the natural process of renewing

growth of vegetation in communities.

• Man-made fires are not part of the natural process

of renewal.
 Floods and Landslides
• Floods and landslides affect ecosystems by

destroying habitats, animals, and vegetation

by covering them (flood and landslide) or

by carrying them away (flood).

• Floods can carry away needed top soil, permanently

changing the vegetation that can grow.

Noise
 NOISE
• During the last 20 years there has been increasing concern with the
quality of the environment.
• Along with air and water contaminants, noise has been recognized as
a serious pollutant.
• As noise levels have risen, the effects of noise have become pervasive
and more apparent.
• Noise is defined as "unwanted sound." In the context of protecting the
public health and welfare, noise implies adverse effects on people and
the environment.
• Noise causes hearing loss, interferes with human activities at home
and work, and is in various ways injurious to people's health and well-
being.
• Although hearing loss is the most clearly measurable health hazard,
noise is also linked to other physiological and psychological problems.
 NOISE
• Noise annoys, awakens, angers and frustrates people. It

disrupts communication and individual thoughts, and

affects performance capability.

• Noise is one of the biological stressors associated with

everyday life.

• Thus, the numerous effects of noise combine to detract

from the quality of people's lives and the environment.

 NOISE
• Noise emanates from many different sources.
• Transportation noise, industrial noise,
construction noise, household noise, and people
and animal noise are all large-scale offenders.
• It is important, then, to examine the total range
and combination of noise sources and not to
focus unduly on any one source.
• Separate lecture on this…
Accidents
WARNING SIGNS
AND LABELS
(PHYSICAL
HAZARDS)
Physico-Chemical
Factors
Salts and Ions
 The Effect of Salt on Ecology
(Populations and Communities)
• A salt is made of positively and negatively

charged atoms.

• These charged atoms are called ions. Table

salt or NaCl2 (sodium chloride) is

represented at the left.

 Effects of salt on biotic
community
• too much prevents growth of fresh water
organisms
• too little prevents growth of salt water
organisms
• helps nutrients get inside cells and waste
products leave cells
• allows normal growth and function of
organisms, such as muscle action, brain
function, enzyme function.
 Effects of salt on biotic community
• Like physical weathering, chemical weathering
(breakdown of rocks with chemicals) helps establish
biotic communities by helping rocks break into tiny
pieces, ultimately forming soil.
• Chemicals such as acid or oxygen combine with
rocks and change the chemical makeup of the
minerals in the rocks. It can be compared to burning
paper, rather than tearing it apart.
• The atoms in the paper are changed as the paper
changes to tiny pieces of ash.
 Effects of salt on biotic
community
• Chemical weathering also causes the rocks to
break down into smaller pieces.
• Together with physical weathering, soil is formed.

• Soil is the basis of all life on a planet.

• Chemical weathering also adds dissolved minerals

to the soil, thus increasing chemical nutrients for
plants.
 SPECIES
SUCCESSION
 SPECIES SUCCESSION

1) Pioneer Community :
- After a volcanic eruption or after a glacier recedes
from an area, a barren, rock-filled but lifeless
region exists
 2) Intermediate Community :
Wind brings the spores or germinating

• Wind brings the spores or germinating bodies of small plants like lichens
and moss which attach and grow on the rocks.
• Lichens and mosses produce acids which cause the rocks to weather
(break into small pieces)
• Combined with physical weathering, the first soil is formed
• Insects and small animals begin to inhabit the area.
3) Intermediate Community

• Seeds of small shrubs and other plants (herbs)

are carried by the wind and eventually replace the lichen
and moss community BECAUSE THESE GROW BETTER
THAN THE LICHENS AND MOSS.
• Different kinds of animals move into the area, often
competing better than the prior animals for resources.
4) Intermediate Community

• Larger plants begin to grow among the small shrubs and herbs and
if better suited to the environment, grow better than the shrubs and
herbs, eventually choking them out of the area
• Weathering continues. Trees that are planted in small areas on rocks
begin growing in the rocks. The roots begin to grow into the rock,
and as they get bigger split the rock in various pieces, helping the
physical weathering and soil formation process.
5) Intermediate Community

• The process continues : other plants and trees begin to grow and
eventually completely replace the older species of life that had
grown there.
• This also applies to animal life.
• One species replaces another only because it is better suited for
growth (because of better use of nutrients, more access to light, etc)
than the current inhabitants of the area.
6) Climax Community

• Finally, those plants (and animals) populate the area that are the best
suited for growth
• This kind of community is very stable and so the process of
succession slows down drastically
• Except for a natural disaster, this kind of community, called a Climax
community, will stay for a long time BECAUSE IT CAN MORE
SUCCESSFULLY COMPETE FOR AVAILABLE RESOURCES WHEN
OTHER ORGANISMS COME INTO THE SAME AREA.
ConclusIo
• The wide range of effects that the
environment may have on human
health, is very far from exhaustive and
many hazards or their effects have not
been mentioned.
• The simplicity of this meant very
important concepts have not been
discussed.
• These include the distinction between mere

association, and causation, or the quantitative

implications of understanding the difference

between hazard and risk.

• Finally, we must not forget, that as a species

we are the way we are because of the influence of

the environment on our evolution.

• Problems to health arise at two levels :

• Individual level - the environmental influences

slowly 'shape' the species in some respect or
another may cause harm to some members of the species
- that is how a species evolves.
• Species level, the process of evolution is relatively
slow when compared to the rate at which man can bring
about environmental changes.
• This means that unless efforts are made to care for the
environment, the human species may suffer to an extent
that other species already have suffered.
Thank you…