Poison for Food

Environmental Health Hazards

By Martina Historiador and Jo Hanzelle Tadlas
What is Environmental Health?
Environmental Health involves
understanding
the impacts of environmental and
human-made
hazards and protecting human health and
ecological systems against these hazards.
Significance
o Help prevent or reduce disease through
public dissemination of information
o Create environments that support
health
o Encourage positive human behaviours
that help the environment
What is a Hazard?
A Hazard is something which is known to
cause harm,that is, a source of danger
to health.
How does it affect us?
Five Kinds of
Environmental
Health Hazards
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Physical hazards are anything that
threaten our
physical safety.
Also considered as an ergonomical
hazard.

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
Biological hazards come from ecological
interactions between organisms or are
organisms, or by-products from an
organism, that are harmful or
potentially harmful to human beings.
CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Chemical hazards can be both natural and
human-made chemicals in the
environment, that are harmful to
people, can may be in the form of
gases, solids or liquids.
CULTURAL/PRACTICE RELATED
HAZARDS
Cultural or traditional practices that
adversely affects health.
SOCIAL HAZARDS
Social hazards result from your location,
socioeconomic status, occupation and
behavioural choices.
Understanding Hazards
o Source of hazard
o Type of hazard
o Pathway
o Response
HAZARD CONTROL
Principles of Hazard Management

Sources:
Bartram, J. Rees, G. (2000). Other Biological, Physical and
Chemical Hazards.Monitoring Bathing Waters A Practical
Guide to the Design and Implementation of Assessments
and Monitoring Programmes.

N/A. (2013). Hygiene and Environmental Health HEAT
Module. Retrieved October 8, 2014 from
http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=45199
0&section=8.3

Sarah Friedl. (2014). What is environmental health.
Retrieved October 8, 2014 from
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/what-is-
environmental-health-definition-types-sources.html#lesson

Government of Western Australia, DOH
Public Health Division. (2013).
Environmental health: Food and Water
Hazards. Retrieved October 8, 2014 from
http://www.public.health.wa.gov.au/1/1060
/2/environmental_health_food_water_and_h
azards.pm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Environmental Health
(NCEH).Environmental Hazards & Health
Effects. Pub. No. 02-0750 .