What is environmental health?
Environmental health centers on the relationships between people and their environment.
Environmental health is about how our surroundings affect our well-being. It looks at the connection between people and the environment they live in. When we come into contact with things like dirty air or lead in our drinking water, it can lead to serious health problems like asthma, heart disease, cancer, and dementia.
People working in environmental health create rules and plans to reduce harmful substances in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil, and the food we eat. The goal is to make sure everyone has a safe place to live, learn, work, and play.
- Environmental health: elements of human well-being, determined by the overall quality of life, influenced by the physical, chemical, biological, social, and psychological factors present in the environment.
- Environment: broadly includes everything external to ourselves, including the physical, natural, social and behavioral environments.
- Health: is not just the absence of illness but also having good physical, mental, and social well-being.
People are exposed to risk factors in their homes, work places and communities through:
Air Pollution including indoors and outdoors
Chemicals and biological agents
Inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene
Occupational Risks
Built Environments including housing and roads
Radiation ultraviolet and ionizing
Extreme Weather
Agricultural Practices including pesticide-use, waste-water reuse
Community noise
This research was conducted by the University of Louisville's Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS grant P30 ES030283). CIEHS strives to inform the public on environmental health science and build transparent relationships with surrounding communities to support healthier lifestyles. For more information regarding The Center for Integrative Environmental Health Science, please visit https://centers.louisville.edu/integrativeenvironmentalhealth/. Please email CIEHS@louisville.edu for a print copy of this fact sheet.
Reference: "Estimating Environmental Health Impact" World Health Organization, 6 Feb. 2024, https://cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/environmental-health/phe-prevention-diseases-infographic-en-3-1200px.png?sfvrsn=2f6cc3d4_12.
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