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ESSENC
CE - Interna
ational Jourrnal for Envvironmentaal Rehabilitaation and Conservation
n
Volume VI: No. 1 2015 [49
[ – 51] [ISS
SN 0975 - 62722]
[ww
ww.essence-jouurnal.com]

Health Effects off Deterioraating Enviironment – A Review

Chaudhaary, Seema

9, 2015 ⏐ Acccepted: April 28, 2015 ⏐ Online:

Received: February 19 O June 30,
3 2015

The relaationship beetween envvironment and a andd damage thhe body imm
human health
h has beeen known since the veery
beginning of human race. Globaally millionss of
preventabble deaths and illness appear to be
either directly
d caaused or worsened by
environm mental contaamination annd degradatioon.
The Phhysical env vironment has h a maajor
influencee on human n health nott only throuugh
temperatuure and com mposition off air and waater
but also through its interaction with the tyype
and distrribution of the flora and a fauna (tthe
biologicaal environm ment). L.D. Stamp has h baseed diseasess water, foood and sooil born
enumeratted about 25 5 world killeers operatingg in
different regions of the world, showing thheir
dependennce upon thee environmennt.
Environm mental hazarrds to healthh fall into tw wo
broad cattegories. On n the one sidde is the lackk of
accessibiility to basicc environmeental resourcces
like sanittation, waterr, fresh air, shelter and the
t deatths and diseases, the worldd over.
like. Onn the other side is thee exposure to
hazardouus environmeent. These haazards include
biologicaal agents viz., micro-organisms suchh as
bacteria and viruses and paarasites which
contributte to the global burdenn of infectioous
disease; chemical pollutants; ultra vioolet
radiationn and the likee which causse birth defeccts
For corresspondence:
Dept. of Hiistory
J.V.Jain Coollege,Saharanpu
ur
Email: seemmachaudhary@ @jvjaincollege.ccom
munity systtem and
whiich render peeople suscepptible to a vaariety of
heallth risks. In other words the enviroonmental
threeats to diseases can be classifiied into
'tradditional hazzards' associated with lack of
devvelopment, anda modern hazards asssociated
withh unsustainaable developm ment.
Aroound 17 million
m deaaths per year are
attriibutable to the infecttions and parasite
agennts in the developing
d c
countries with high
riskks of diseasees. Among the t environm mentally
diseeases affectt a majorrity of thee world
poppulation. Diaarrohea, Cholera and Heppatitis A
andd E have the clearest linkk to the envirronment
andd spread by both
b bacteriaa and virus. Lack of
adequate waterr, sanitationn and hygiiene are
respponsible forr an estimated 7 percennt of all
Oveercrowding and smokyy indoor air a from
burnning biomasss fuels for cooking
c andd heating
conntribute to acute resppiratory infl flections,
killiing around 4 million peoople and a yeear.
Eveen in cities that havve excellent water
systtems, relativvely clean air,
a and moost other
feattures typpically associated with
envvironmental health, theree are seriouus health
hazards that falll heavily onn the poor. Many
M of
thosse involve more
m social than
t physicaal threats
to health: stress,
s depression, 'cchemical
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Chaudhry, ma /Vol. VI [1] 2015/49 – 51 
Seem

dependenncy and viollence. Other however, suuch over is a majorr threat to huuman healthh, today.
as crowdding clearly has
h a physicaal aspect. Thee radiation hazard whhich can alter a the
Among thet insect pro one diseasess in urban arrea, outfflow of calccium ions frrom the braiin tissue
Malaria isi the most deadly, claiiming the livves of children, in particuular with steadily
of around 1 million to 3 millioon people eaach weaakening resisstance causees tumour foormation
year. In African and d Indian citties, malariaa is in the human body.
b Tumouur in cancer form is
the most prevalent mosquito-bor
m rne disease and
a expected to takke an increaasing toll onn human
is often a prime cau use of illness and deatths, life.. WHO estim mates that almost
a two thirds
t of
particularrly among children. In the tropiics, neww cancers ovver the next 25 years wiill occur
malaria isi deadly an nd the spreaad exposure to in thhe developinng world.
chemicall agents in the environnment, i.e. air, a Hazzard from all domesttic appliancces like
water, foood and soiil affects huuman life withw elecctric heaterss, iron, toaasters, mixies, hair
brain dam mage and birth
b defectss. Some of the t dryeers, heating pads etc. alsso create a magnetic
m
measuress used to control
c inseects and othher fieldd though of o a fairly short rangge. The
pests inddoors create their own environmenntal radiiation arising from the electron beaams can
health thrreats. havve serious efffects in due course
c of tim
me.
Human activity plaays a criticaal role in the t Induustrializationn has inevitaably caused a major
spread off disease. An
A influx of large numbers threeat to human health. Rapid
R develoopmental
of people can pro oduce overcrowding and a actiivities withouut adequate health, envirronment
inadequaate supplies of safe waater, which in safeeguards asssociated with unreestricted
turn leaads to pro oblems in hygiene - a connsumption of o natural resources. These
combinattion that iss ideal for the spread of hazards are:
infectiouus diseases. The increasing incidennce • Water polllution from
m pollutedd area,
of povertty worldwid de underlies the resurgennce industry annd intensivve agriculturre.
of diseeases such as Tubeerculosis and a • Air pollutioon caused due to vehicular
v
Dyptheriia. emissions, emissions from
f thermaal power
At presennt time canccer, Dengue and AIDS are plants and other
o industriies ;
the threee speedily growing
g diseases. Denggue • Solid municcipal and othher solid wasstes;
virus whhich is now the
t fastest growing
g inseect-
• Hazardous wastes including
i hospital
borne virral infection in the worldd is transmittted
wastes;
primarilyy by the 'Aeddes aegypoti’ mosquito.
Some em merging diseases are associated
a w
with
• Chemical and radiattion hazardds due
to acquisittion of moodern industtrial and
environm mental chaanges that occur with w
agricultural technologiees ;
economicc or agriccultural development or
changes in land use patterns. Certainly, the t • Deforestatioon, land deggradation annd other
developm ment and gro owth of citiees often fueled major ecollogical channges at loccal and
by an influx of migrants can foster the t regional levvels; and
establishmment of a new innfection in a • Climate cchange, strratospheric ozone
populatioon. depletion annd transbounndry pollutioon.
The Nucclear develop pment and use,u the woorld

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Chaudhry, ma /Vol. VI [1] 2015/49 – 51 
Seem

There is a cause an nd effect siituation in thet genneration andd children suffer from m intra-
world cliimate chang ges which haave a profouund gennerational and
a inter-ggenerational health
effect onn health. In fact 'sciencce, technologgy, probblems due to
t polluted environmennt. If we
socio-pollitical instiitutions, pllans etc. all wannt to come out
o from thiss grave situaation, we
working wrongly to decimate thee basic, natuural musst accept thhis fact thaat 'human survival
and cultuural life sysstem of thee world in the t depends on devvelopment wiithout destruuction of
name of developmen nt. envvironment.’ Mahatma Gandhi
G has rightly
Human activity is causing thee extinction of empphasized thaat nature has in surpluss for the
animal, plant
p and miicrobiologicaal organismss at needs for people but not forr their greed..’
rates whhich may elliminate onee-fourth of all
species on earth withinw the next
n 50 yeaars. Refferences
Many terminal
t diseases
d thrreatening the t S. Radha, Am mar Singh Sankhyan (2004):
survival of human race such as cancer, AID DS 'Environnmental Chaallenges of thet 21st
and manny heart diseases are the resultant century’’ – (Edt.)), Deep & Deep
effects off extinction ofo species annd forests. publicattion, Delhi, P.
P - 185.
The vedic literaturee, specially Atharva Veeda L.D
D. Stamp - The Geogrraphy of Life L and
lays dow wn the princiiples of ecollogy - in othher Death - Collins -Thhe Fontana Library,
words thhe holistic concept off nature. This T London.. P. 189.
holistic concept
c of nature
n rejectts the activitties S. Radha, Amar A Singhh Sankhyann (ed.)
like over consum mption and neo-classiical Environnmental Chaallenges of the 21
economicc values. It I thus rejeects the maan- century--Deep & Deep pubblication,
centred ethics
e of tech
hnocratic inddividualism.. In Delhi, P.
P 184.
fact all thhe individuals have equaal human rigghts Shaalini Sareen (2005): Urbban Pollutionn and its
to bodilyy security and d livable envvironment. Manageement, IVY Publishing House,
An intennsive analysiis of humann health in the t Delhi, P.
P 212.
deterioraating envirronment explains the t R.R
R. Das: Fuundamentals of Enviroonmental
magnitudde of the pro oblem of prootecting the life
l Science,, Paragoon Interrnational
and livinng of man on n the earth. Human heaalth Publisheers, P. 196.
is at staake due to o slow poissoning of the t R. Misra (19774): Environnmental Sciience in
atmospheere by variou us sources of
o pollution and
a Developping Countriies, in M. Dworkin
D
extractionn of resources
r along w
with (ed.): Environment
E and Devellopment,
mismanaagement witthout foresightedness and a SCOPE Misc. Pub. Indiana,
I U.S
S.A.
consideraation for the future generration. A. Leopold (11949): Sandd County Almanac,
A
It is reallly painful to note that men
m and wom men Oxford Uni.
U Press, NewN York.
in the reeproductive age suffer from varioous J. Pennock, J. Chapmaan (eds.) (1968):
health prroblems, whiich they passs on to the next Equalityy, Lieger - Atherton,
A New York.

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