SayPro HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmental degradation exerts significant pressure on human health. Exposure to air, water and soil pollution, to chemicals in the environment, or to noise, can cause cancer, respiratory, cardiovascular and communicable diseases, as well as poisoning and neuropsychiatric disorders.Outdoor air pollution is a major environmental problem in OECD countries. It can have acute health effects resulting from short-term exposure or chronic health impacts resulting from long-term exposure. Health problems linked to air pollution range from minor eye irritation to upper respiratory symptoms, chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. Some of these require hospital treatment, and may be fatal.How badly air pollution affects individuals will depend on the pollutant’s chemical composition, its concentration in the air, the length of exposure, the synergy with other air pollutants, as well as individual susceptibility (Box 1). Although environmental risk factors can affect the health of the whole population, some groups are particularly vulnerable to environmental pollution, including children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with pre-existing diseases.Although the direct health effects of exposure to chemicals are complex and sometimes open to debate, health problems due to harmful exposure to some chemicals are well documented. For instance, concern has been raised about the link between exposure to chemicals such as alkylphenols (used in detergents and pesticides) and disruption of the hormonal system that regulates many of the body’s functions. Effects on sperm motility, foetal growth rate and neurological functions of offspring have been observed from human exposure to PCBs, and epidemiological studies suggest exposure-related increases in cancers of the digestive system. PCBs were used in coolants,Please visit our website at www.saypro.online Email: info@saypro.online Email: info@saypro.online Call: + 27 11 071 1903 WhatsApp: + 27 84 313 7407. Comment below for any questions and feedback. For SayPro Courses, SayPro Jobs, SayPro Community Development, SayPro Products, SayPro Services, SayPro Consulting, and SayPro Advisory visit our website to www.saypro.online