The Environment and Health

 

Last year Canadians were given a stark reminder of how the environment affects human health - one word says it all "Walkerton". It this case germs in the water supply killed people. The germ (E. coli) came from the manure of cattle that had been spread onto the fields near the wells that supplied the town's drinking water. The water treatment system failed to kill the E.coli and resulted in several deaths and many illnesses.

 

(For more information, visit www.gov.on.ca/health/english/news/advise/ad_052500.html
and
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ehp/ehd/bch/water_quality/blue_thumb.htm)


This is one very dramatic way that the environment affects health. Here are a few others:

  • Lead is a metal found in and around many homes and can cause death from acute poisoning, anaemia at low levels, and a reduction of mental and kidney functions. Children are especially at risk. Exposure during pregnancy or in early infancy can impair intellectual development and cause behavioural problems.
    http://www.gnb.ca/0053/disprev/LeadPoisoning-e.asp
  • Mould in homes can cause or exasperate a number of health problems. Asthma attacks, for example, may be triggered by the presence of mould. However, a number of other serious conditions are linked to the presence of mould in living and work places.
    http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/environment/indoor_air.html

  • Various chemicals can also affect health in both drastic and subtle ways. For example, children of women who eat large amounts of fish from Lake Michigan are exposed to toxic chemicals and heavy metals. These children were shown to have reduced intellectual function when compared to children in the general population. (For more information, visit http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/335/11/783 ).

  • Several other health and medical conditions have also been linked to environmental exposures. Some of these links are well documented and understood, others are still under investigation. These include: miscarriage, birth defects, low birth weight and premature births, asthma and bronchitis, behavioural, and neuro-developmental disorders including autism, cancer and Parkinson's disease.

The Special Case of Children

 

While every Canadian is exposed to pollution, children are disproportionately affected by their exposure. Simply put "children are different"; they are not small adults. They have different behavioural, developmental and physiological characteristics than adults.

 

Relatively speaking, children breathe, eat and drink more than adults do. Children, as any parent knows, also have more hand to mouth activity (as well as hand to nose, eye and ear activity). Children play in the mud and dirt; they roll on the grass, and splash in any puddles. They are closer to the tailpipe of vehicles and, therefore, receive higher exposures to exhaust gases. They absorb more chemicals through their skin and intestines that adults.

 

Whatever is in the environment gets into the bodies of children. This exposure starts in the womb and continues throughout life. We are coming to realize that small exposures can have subtle but problematic effects when small children or the foetus is exposed at critical times. For example, reduced IQ scores and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are thought to be linked to environmental exposures. Certain cancers such as testicular, prostate and breast cancer that are affecting young adults may be caused by environmental exposures during childhood.

(See www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm#adhd6

www.cela.ca/ch_health/ch_health_index.htm

 

There is no dispute that various things in our environment can harm our health, however, it is difficult to say with certainty that a particular chemical compound, such as a pesticide or a cleaner, is damaging to human health.


For the best protection, avoid pollution when you can
and reduce your exposure as much as possible
to live healthier and better!

 

 

Ways to Protect your Family's
Environmental Health:

  • Review the cleaning products in your home, look for healthier alternative - many supermarkets now carry one or more lines of "green" cleaners.
  • Some activities and hobbies like painting and model making require using paints, glues, and solvents. Look for more environmentally friendly alternatives and ensure that your workspace is well ventilated.
  • If you work in a job that brings you into contact with chemicals and other pollutants, wear overalls and leave them at work and, if possible, shower and change before coming home.
  • Avoid solvents. Look for glues, paints and other products that do not release fumes into your air.


 

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Last Reviewed: January 20, 2003

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