Environment is one of the most important determinant of health. It includes the physical,biological and psychosocial environment. sustainable environment is needed to acquire good health. Environment is effected by many factors, so health is.

1. Environmental Health
PG Students: Dr. Vineeta Singh
Dr. Kalyani Ekre
PG Teachers: Dr. Meena Kakeri Madam
Dr. Pallavi Uplap Madam
Dr. Pratima Borade Madam

2. Content
• Introduction
• Components of Environment
• Environmental pollutions under the headings:
– Sources
– Problem Statement
– Health Hazards
– Prevention & control
– Acts and laws
– Government & non government organizations
• Newer challenges in environmental health
• Sustainable Development Goals & environmental
health
• Apex Bodies Governing environmental health in India

3. Introduction
The Earth, the air, the land and the water are
not an inheritance from our fore fathers but on
loan from our children. So we have to
handover to them, at least, as it was handed
over to us.
-Mahatma Gandhi

4. Definition
• Environmental health is the science and practice of
preventing human injury and illness and promoting
well being by
– Identifying and evaluating environmental sources of
hazardous agent and
– Limiting exposures to hazardous physical, chemical and
biological agents in air, water, soil, food and other
environmental media or settings that may adversely affect
human health.

5. Why to Study Environmental Health?
• According to WHO, an
estimated 12.6 million
people died as a result of
living or working in an
unhealthy environment in
2012 – nearly 1 in 4 of total
global deaths are because
of environmental health.
• By focusing on reducing
environmental and social
risk factors, nearly a
quarter of the global
burden of disease can be
prevented.

8. Components of Environment
Environment
Physical Biological Psychosocial

9. Physical Environment and Health

10. Biological Environment and Health

11. Psychosocial Environment and Health
Psychosocial
(Customs, value, religion, Education,
Socioeconomic condition, Employment)
Health Effects
Depression
Mental Stress
Accidents
Malnutrition
Poor hygiene
Social Problems
Poverty
Hunger
Gender inequality
Corruption
Alcoholism

12. Air pollution
Presence of substances(e.g. gasses, particulate matter) in the
ambient atmosphere which is generated by the activities of
man in concentration that interfere with human health, safety
and causes discomfort or injury to vegetation and animals
and other environmental media is air pollution.

13. Sources of Air Pollution
1) Natural
Natural air pollutants are emitted from natural sources
such as volcanic activity, dust storm, sea salt, forest
fires, soil outgassing etc.

14. 2) Anthropogenic(Man Made)
Automobiles
Industries Domestic Sources
Tobacco Smoke

15. Major Air Pollutants
1.Suspended Particulate Matter
• TSP(Total suspended particulate matter)
• PM10
• PM2.5
2.Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
3.Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
4.Carbon Monoxide (CO)
5.Ozone
6.Lead
7.Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
8.Greenhouse Gases
9.Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

20. Health hazards of Air pollution
Pollutants Major effects
Health effects Environmental effects
Sulfur oxides (SOx) Respiratory problems, Heart
and
lung disorders, Visual
impairment
Acid rain
Nitrogen oxides
(NOx
Pulmonary disorders,
increased
susceptibility to respiratory
infections
Precursor of ozone
formation in troposphere,
Aerosol formation

21. Cont..
Pollutants Major effects
Health effect Environmental effect
Carbon
monoxide
(CO
Anoxemia leading to various
cardiovascular problems.
Infants, pregnant women, and
elderly people are at higher risk
_
Ammonia
(NH3)
Immediate effects lead to burning
of eyes, nose, throat, and
respiratory tract. Prolonged effects
result in blindness, lung damage,
or death
Particulate
matter
(PM)
Respiratory problems, liver
fibrosis, lung/liver cancer,
Bone problems
Visibility reduction

22. Monitoring of air quality in India
• Global Environmental Monitoring
Systems (GEMS)- WHO
• National Environmental Engineering
Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur
• Central Pollution Control Board
• Maharashtra pollution control
board.

23. Air Quality Index
• AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how
clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health
effects might be a concern for you.
• The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within
a few hours or days after breathing polluted air.
• The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution
and the greater the health concern.
• For example, an AQI value of 50 represents good air quality
with little potential to affect public health, while an AQI value
over 300 represents hazardous air quality.

24. The AQI is divided into six categories:

25. National Air Quality Index
•

27. National Air Quality Monitoring
Programme (N.A.M.P.)
• National air quality monitoring programme started by CPCB in
1990.
• In this programme ,342 stations monitors 127 cities/ towns in
26 states & 4 union territory
• The monitoring of pollutants is carried out for 24 hours (4-
hourly sampling for gaseous pollutants and 8-hourly sampling
for particulate matter) with a frequency of twice a week, to
have one hundred and four (104) observations in a year.
• The monitoring is being carried out with the help of Central
Pollution Control Board(CPCB); State Pollution Control
Boards(SPCB); Pollution Control Committees; National
Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur.

29. Prevention and control
• Some measures which can be adopted in this
direction are as follows:
1. Use of unleaded petrol
2. Using fuels with low sulphur and ash content
3. Promotion of use of public transport
4. Sensitive locations (hospitals, schools, playgrounds etc.)
should not be located along the busy streets
5. Vegetation cover should be increased along the roadside, busy
traffic intersection points, and on the road dividers.
6. Industries and waste disposal sites should preferably be
situated in outskirts of the city.

30. Control Measures In Industrial
Establishments
• Controlling measures of air pollution in industrial environment
Control of gaseous
pollutants
• Absorption by
liquids
• Adsorption by
solids
• Combustion
Control of particulate
pollutants
• Gravitational settling
chambers
• Cyclone separators
• Fabric filters
• Electrostatic
precipitators
• Wet collectors and
scrubbers

31. Air Purifier
• An air purifier is a device which removes contaminants from
the air in a room. These devices are commonly marketed as
being beneficial to allergy sufferers and asthmatics, and at
reducing or eliminating second-hand tobacco smoke

33. Legislations to Control Air Pollution
• The Air (prevention & control of pollution) Act ,1981
• Air (prevention & control of pollution) Rules, 1982
• Air amendment act, 1987

34. Under the plan scheme Metropolitan Air Quality and Weather Services, Ministry of Earth
Sciences (MoES), Govt. of India, has introduced a major national initiative, "System of Air
Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research" known as "SAFAR" for greater metropolitan
cities of India to provide location specific information on air quality in near real time and its
forecast 1-3 days in advance for the first time in India.
The SAFAR system is developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, along with
ESSO partner institutions namely India Meteorological Department (IMD) and National
Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF)

35. Water Pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of natural water
bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, sea, ocean, aquifers, ground
water etc.). This form of environmental degradation
occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly
added into the water bodies without proper
treatment to remove harmful compounds.

36. Global burden of diseases due to
water pollution
• In the year 2012, water, sanitation and hygiene was responsible for
842 000 annual deaths from diarrhea which accounts for about
1.5% of the global burden of disease (in Disability-Adjusted Life
Years or DALYs).
• Typhoid fever causes about 16 million cases and over 600 000
deaths a year, about 80% of them in Asia
• There are epidemics of cholera and dysentery, with cholera alone
causing 120 000 deaths a year
• Worldwide, some 40 million people have intestinal trematode
infections.

37. Cont..
According to 2015 data:
• 663 million people still rely on unimproved water
sources
• 68% of the world’s population had access to
improved sanitation facilities
• 946 million people practiced open defecation

38. Effects of Water Pollution
1. Effects on human health
2. Effects on ecosystems
3. Effect on economic productivity

39. Cont….
1. Effect on human health

40. 2) Effect on ecosystems

41. 3) Effect on Economic productivity
 Recreational and tourism sectors are also affected
negatively
 Lots of money needs to be spent to clean up the water
from algae blooms

42. Prevention and Control of Water
pollution
• Sewage treatment
• Industrial wastewater treatment
• Agricultural wastewater treatment

43. Sewage Treatment
• In urban areas of developed
countries, domestic sewage is
typically treated by
centralized sewage treatment
plants.
• A household or business not
served by a municipal
treatment plant may have an
individual septic tank, which
pre-treats the wastewater on
site and infiltrates it into the
soil.

44. Industrial waste water treatment
• Industries that generate wastewater with high concentrations,
need specialized treatment systems.
• Some of these facilities can install a pre-treatment system to
remove the toxic components, and then send the partially
treated wastewater to the municipal system.
• Heated water generated by power plants or manufacturing
plants may be controlled with:
 Cooling ponds
 Cooling towers
 Cogeneration

45. Agricultural wastewater treatment
• Non point source controls
 Sediment (loose soil) washed off fields is the largest source
of agricultural pollution
 Common techniques include contour plowing,
crop mulching, crop rotation, planting perennial crops and
installing riparian buffers
• Point source wastewater treatment
 Animal slurries are treated by anaerobic lagoons ,
 Animal slurries are treated by mixing with straw and
composted at high temperature to produce a
bacteriologically sterile and friable manure for soil
improvement.

46. Contour plowing Crop Mulching
Riparian buffer

47. Legislations for regulation of water
pollution
• Water (prevention and control of pollution) Act -
1974
• Merchant shipping Act - 1970
• Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess
Rules – 1978
• Coastal regulation zone notification - 1991

48. • 1st April 1981– International Drinking Water Supply
& Sanitation Decade Programme for 1981-1990
• 25th Dec 2002 –Swajaldhara programme

49. Programmes run by government to
prevent water pollution
• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) by Ministry of Water Resources ,
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
• Swachcha Bharat abhiyan (Clean India Movement ) by Ministry Of Urban
Development.
• Total sanitation campaign in Maharashtra
• Sant Gadgebaba Swachata Abhiyan by state of ministry of rural water
supply in Maharashtra
• National environmental engineering & research institute (NEERI), Nagpur
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI),Mumbai.
• Central pollution control board

50. Paani Foundation is a not-for-profit company set up by Aamir Khan
and Kiran Rao in early 2016 in order to work towards creating a drought-free
Maharashtra. The Foundation’s team comprises of the core team members of
the Satyamev Jayate show. The CEO is Satyajit Bhatkal (director of Satyamev
Jayate) and the COO is Reena Datta.

51. Noise
• Defined as wrong sound, in
the wrong place, at the wrong
time.
• Noise Pollution Sources:
1. Industrial
2. Non-industrial
- Transport
- Household
commodities
- Recreational (Loud
music, discos, religious
& social assemblies)

52. Intensity of Common Sources of Sound

53. Effects of Noise Exposure on Health
1. Non Auditory Effects
- Stress, physiological & behavioural changes
-Hypertension, Sleep disturbances, other
cardiovascular impacts
2. Auditory Effects
- Acoustic trauma
- tinnitus
- temporary & permanent hearing loss

54. Noise Mitigation
1. Careful planning of cities
Green belt between the residential & industrial
zone
2. Control of vehicle
3. Acoustic insulation of buildings
4. Control of noise at sources (industries & railways)
5. Protection of exposed persons (ear plugs ,
periodic audiogram)
6. Legislation
7. Education

55. Legislations:
1. Noise Pollution
Control rule 2000
under Environment
Protection Act 1996
2. National Ambient
Noise Monitoring
Network Programme
(NANMP)

56. Monitoring Bodies & NGO’s to Control
Noise Pollution
• Monitoring is done by
1. Central pollution control board
2. Maharashtra pollution control board

57. Awaaz foundation
• A charitable trust and non-governmental
organisation in Mumbai, India, which builds
awareness, carries out advocacy, and is involved in
educational projects to protect the environment and
prevent environmental pollution.

58. Noise Pollution Control : Recent Advances
1. Noise cancellation technology
- based on a physical phenomenon called as destructive
interference.
2. Acoustic camera
- It is an optimal tool for visualization of sound level
measurements.
3. Desk noise meter
- It clearly shows the surrounding noise levels.

59. Radiation : Sources
Natural Man made
1. Cosmic Rays 1. Medical & Dental Radiation X-
ray & radioisotope
2. Environmental
a. Terrestrial
b. atmospheric
2. Occupational
3. Internal
Potassium-40
Carbon-14
3. Nuclear radioactive fall-out
4. Miscellaneous :
Television set, radioactive dial
watches, luminous marker

60. Cont…

61. Health Hazards of Radiation
Somatic Effects Genetic Effects
1. Immediate
a. Radiation Sickness
b. Acute Radiation
Syndrome
1. Chromosomal Mutation
2. Point Mutation
2. Delayed
a. Cancers (leukaemia, Skin
Cancer)
b. Foetal Development
abnormalities
c. Shortening of life
d. Aplastic anaemia

62. Radiation Protection
Personal Protection:
• Lead aprons, radiation dosimeters
Allowable exposure :0.1rad/year,
Additional permissible dose not more than 5rad/year
• Periodic examination
Sophisticated treatment & management of
nuclear waste

63. Legislations to Control Radiation
Hazards
• Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
– Established in 1983
– Apex regulatory body under department of
atomic energy, government of India
• Acts:
1. Atomic energy act, 1962
2. Radiation protection rules, 1971

64. Global Warming
• Definition:
Global warming relates to the increase in the
average temperature of the Earth's surface that
has been observed in recent years, and it is
projected to continue.

65. Global Warming : Statistics
According to NASA, the hottest year on record
was 2005, which matched 1998.
It is also projected that 15-37% of all plant and
animal species could be wiped out by global
warming by the year 2050, which could further
cause considerable damage to our planet's
ecosystem.

66. Causes
1. Natural causes
2. Man-made causes
 Greenhouse gases
 Deforestation
 Coal mining
 Burning of fossil fuels
 Industrial processes
 Agriculture
 Domestic appliances

68. Hazards
1. Acid rains
2. Shift in hydrological cycle
3. Effect on glaciers
4. Ecological disturbances
5. Ozone depletion

70. Prevention & Control of Global
Warming
• In 2015, the WHO Executive Board endorsed a new work plan
on climate change and health. This includes:
– Partnerships
– Awareness raising: to provide and disseminate
information on the threats that climate change presents to
human health, and opportunities to promote health.
– Science and evidence: develop a global research agenda.
– Giving Support to other countries for implementation of
preventive measures to climate change: and to build
capacity to reduce health vulnerability and promote health
while reducing carbon emissions.

71. Prevention & Control
• Encourage plantation of trees
• Less use of air conditioners & refrigerators
• Use solar energy, wind mills for power supply
• Cautious use of vehicles
• Preserve wet lands
• Improve water harvesting
• Ban the plastic bag
• IEC activities

72. Heat Stress
• Definition: Any degree of environmental heat
that causes physiological thermoregulatory
mechanisms to get activated.
• Effects of Environmental Heat:
1. Heat stroke : temp may rise upto 110 degree F
2. Heat Hyperpyrexia: upto 106 degree F
3. Heat exhaustion: Not exceed 102 degee F
4. Heat cramps
5. Heat syncope

73. Prevention & Control
• Hydration
• Regulation of work hours
• Clothings : loose light coloured clothing
• Protective devices : goggles, helmets etc.
• Work environment : ventilation & air
conditioning

74. Cold
• Adverse Health Effect:
1. Generalised Hypothermia
2. Localized effects : frostbite, trench foot, erythma,
pruritus, snow blindness etc.
• Prevention:
1. Clothings
2. Regular exercise
3. Avoid alcohol & smoking
4. Nutrition
5. Early diagnosis & treatment

75. High Altitude Illness
• Syndromes that can affect unacclimatised
travellers
• It encompasses
1. Acute mountain sickness
2. High altitude pulmonary oedema
3. High altitude cerebral oedema
• Prevention:
1. Acclimatization
2. Chemoprophylaxis : acetazolamide

76. Newer Challenges For Environmental
Health

77. Newer
Challenges
Population
Explosion
Rapid
Urbanization
Natural
Resource
Depletion
Waste
disposal
Ocean
Acidification
E-waste &
Electromagn
etic radiation
Plastic Waste
Sand Mining
Deforestation
Loss Of
Biodiversity

78. Deforestation
• Defined as:
– the removal or cutting down of forest trees,
and transformation of natural vegetation and
forests into clear land,
– without making any arrangement for the
replenishment or re-plantation of the forest trees.

79. Deforestation : Statistics
• An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million
hectares) of forest, are lost each year,
according to the United Nation’s Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• Forests should cover about one-third of the
total area of country. But in India forests
covers around 24% of the total area.

80. Causes of Deforestation
1. Urbanization
2. Agricultural Expansion
3. Infrastructure expansion
4. Logging
5. Mining
6. Forest Fires

81. Effects of Deforestation

82. Prevention of Deforestation
• Re-plantation
• Legislation
• IEC activities

83. Legislations
1. The Forest (conservation) act,1980
2. National forest policy,1988
Nodal Agencies
• Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate change
(National)
• UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)

84. NGO’s for Environment Protection
1. Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)
– International NGO
2. Green Peace, India
3. Kalpavriksh, Pune & New Delhi
4. The Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai
5. Greenlife, India

85. Sand Mining
• Sand mining is a practice that is used to extract sand,
mainly through an open pit.
• Sand is also mined from beaches,
Inland dunes and dredged from ocean beds and river
beds.

86. Impact of Sand mining
• Physical
 The undercutting and collapse of river bank
 The loss of adjacent land and/or structures
 changes in flow velocity of river.
 Changes in channel bed and habitat type of river.
• Ecological
 Direct loss of stream reserve habitat
 Disturbances of species attached to streambed deposits
 Reduced primary production, and
 Reduced feeding opportunities.

87. Don’t bury the issue of sand mining!!!

88. • Biodiversity is now commonly defined as the variety of life in
genes, species and habitats
• Marine biodiversity refers to the species richness and
abundance in the world's oceans and seas. And since the
world is covered with approximately 70% water, the amount
of life in the oceans is enormous.

89. Facts And Figures On Marine
Biodiversity
• Today 60% of the world’s major marine ecosystems
have been degraded or are being used unsustainably.
• Commercial overexploitation of the world’s fish stocks
is so severe that it has been estimated that up to 13%
of global fisheries have collapsed.
• Between 1980 and 2005, 35,000 square kilometers of
mangroves were removed globally.
• Between 30 and 35 percent of marine habitats such as
seagrasses, mangroves and coral reefs are estimated
to have been destroyed.

90. Threats to marine biodiversity
1)Habitat destruction and fragmentation
• construction, recreation and developments of coastal protection.
• growing number of tourists
•exploration and development of oil and gas activities
•Physical damage, eg. Bottom trawling
2)Overexploitation of resources
3)Pollution
4) Climate change

91. Plastic Waste
• Plastics are synthetic polymers and made-up
of long chain hydrocarbons with additives.
• Two types of plastics
1. Thermoplastics(Recyclable)-become soft when
heated, can be reshaped with pressure
2. Thermosets (Non Recyclable)-Once set cannot
be remoulded /softened by applying heat.

92. Plastic Pollution in India
• 80% of thermoplastics and 20% of thermoset
plastic waste is generated in India.
• The use of plastics in India is 3 kg/person/year
• The total consumptions in India is about 4
million tonnes and the waste generated is
about 2 million tonnes.
• About 20% of solid wastes are plastics in India.

93. Effects on Environment
• Plastic waste disposal on land makes it infertile
• Burning generates toxic emissions -CO, HCl, Dioxin,
Furans
• Leaching out of toxic chemicals added as additives
• Littering
• Choked drains can cause flooding
• Affects waste processing facilities like composting
• In environment, plastic breaks down into smaller
particles, are ingested by wildlife on land and in the
ocean and enter human food chain.

94. Prevention Strategies for Plastic
Waste
1. REFUSE - Plastic carry
bag
2. REDUCE - Choose
products with minimum
plastic packaging.
3. REUSE - Reuse non
toxic container and
goods
4. RECYCLE - recycling is
not a sustainable
solution.

95. Legislation
• Plastic manufacture, sale and usage rules, 1999
• The Plastics (Manufacture, Usage and Waste
Management) Rules, 2009
• Plastic management and handling rules,2011
• Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

96. Sustainable Development Goals
• “Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development”

97. Cont..
• Nature is woven throughout these 17 goals and 169
targets.
• The SDGs acknowledge the critical role that a healthy
environment can play in addressing current
challenges including poverty, climate change, food and
water security, and reducing the risk of disasters
and outline nature’s role in achieving health, and in
building more sustainable cities.

98. Central Pollution Control Board
• A statutory body constituted in Sept,1974 under the
Water Act,1974.
• It works under the Ministry of Environment, Forest &
Climate change.
• Head Office: New Delhi
• 7 Zonal offices: Bengaluru, Bhopal, Kolkata, Shillong,
Vadodara, Agra.

99. Cont..
• Functions:
– Air quality monitoring
– Water quality monitoring
– Noise Pollution rule
– Environmental statistics
– Municipal solid waste rule
– Urban area programme
• All these functions are done by coordinating with
state pollution control board.

100. National Green Tribunal
• established on 18.10.2010 under the National
Green Tribunal Act 2010
• Function :
1. For effective and expeditious disposal of cases
relating to environmental protection and
conservation of forests and other natural resources
including enforcement of any legal right relating to
environment
2. For giving relief and compensation for damages to
persons and property

101. Cont..
• The Tribunal's dedicated jurisdiction in
environmental matters shall provide speedy
environmental justice and help reduce the burden of
litigation in the higher courts.
• New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the
Tribunal and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are
the other four zone of sitting of the Tribunal.

102. Only when the last tree has been cut
down, only when the last river has been
poisoned, only when the last fish has
been caught, only then will you realise
that money can not be eaten…

104. References:
1. Park K.et al ; Park’s Textbook of preventive and social
medicine,23rd Edition
2. A.H. Suryakantha; Textbook of Community Medicine with
Recent Advances, 4th Edition.
3. Wallace R. et al ; Wallace/ Maxcy - Rosen au-Last’s book of
public health and preventive medicine, 15th Edition
4. http://cpcbenvis.nic.in/
5. http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/env/en/
6. http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/1/thesaur
us/environment/
7. http://web.unep.org/unea/environmental-dimension-sdgs
8. http:// www.moef.nic.in.com
9. http:// www.mpcb.gov.in.com
10. http:// www.cpcb.nic.in.com