Health Effects of Environmental Agents

1. Health Effects of Environmental Agents • ENVR430 (Formerly ENVR130) • http://www.unc.edu/courses/2006fall/envr/430/001/ • Monday Wednesday Friday, 1 to 1:50 pm • McGavran-Greenberg 1301 • Course director, L.M. Ball lmball@unc.edu, 6-7306

2. Environmental Health Environmental Health comprises those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by interactions with physical, chemical, biological and social factors in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling and preventing those factors in the environment that may adversely affect the health of present and future generations. Pew Environmental Health Commission

5. National Environmental Health Association NEHAwww.neha.org National Center for Environmental Health NCEH www.cdc.gov/nceh/default.htm National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences NIEHS www.niehs.nih.gov

6. Environmental Scientists and Specialists Conduct research or perform investigations for the purpose of identifying, abating or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or the health of the population. Utilizing knowledge of various scientific disciplines may collect, synthesize, study, report, and take action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water and other sources U.S. Department of Labor

7. Environmental Agents • Microbial • Chemical • Physical

8. Heat Cold Trauma Radiation Ionizing radiation (radioactivity) Non-ionizing radiation X-rays UV Infrared Microwave Radio Electromagnetic Physical Hazards

10. Chemical Hazards • “Naturally-Occurring” • “Anthropogenic”

11. Naturally-Occurring Chemicals • Microbial toxins • Bacterial toxins • Botulinus toxin (Clostridium botulinum ) • Shigatoxin (Shigella dysenteriae ) • Fungal toxins (mycotoxins) • Ergot alkaloids (Claviceps purpurea) • Aflatoxins (Aspergillus spps)

13. Plant Constituents • Alkaloids • Atropine • Solanine • Pigments • Methane • Terpenes • Urushiol Atropine

14. Animal Constituents • Alkaloids • Snake venom • Ciguatoxin

15. Combustion Products • Gases • Hydrocarbons • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Phenanthrene Benzanthracene Benzo[a]pyrene

16. Minerals • Soil dust (including e.g. Ca, Al, Si) • Leaching into groundwater • Selenium • Arsenic

17. Anthropogenic Chemicals • Inadvertent introduction • Deliberate use

18. Inadvertent introduction • Industrial by-products • Insulators • Effluents • Wastes • Spills • Improper disposal

19. Aromatic hydrocarbons Chlorinated hydrocarbons Industrialsolvents

20. Drinking water disinfection by-products • Trihalomethanes • Chloroform CHCl3 • Bromodiloromethane CHBrCl2 • Dibromochloromethane CHBr2Cl • Bromoform CHBr3 • Haloacetic acids • Trichloroacetic acid CCl3-COOH • Dichloroacetic acid CHCl2-COOH • Dibromoacetic acid CHBr2-COOH

21. Combustion products • Gases: CO, CO2, O3, peroxyacyl nitrates, nitrogen oxides (N2O, NO, NO2), sulfur oxides (SO2, SO3) • Particulate matter • Hydrocarbons • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

22. Deliberate use • Pesticides • Fertilizers • Food additives • Plasticizers • Pharmaceuticals • Waste disposal

23. Insecticides • Chlorinated hydrocarbons • Organophosphates • Carbamates

24. Herbicides • Broad-spectrum • Broad-leaf • Grassy-leaf

25. Fertilizers • Nitrates • Phosphates

26. Food additives • Anti-oxidants • Anti-microbials • Sweeteners • Other flavoring agents • Coloring agents • Humectants • Anti-caking agents

27. Plasticizers

28. THE MICROBIAL WORLD: • SIZES OF MICROBES VIRUS 0.1 um BACTERIUM 1 x 2 um