Effects of The Environment on Human Health (Annotated Bibliography)

Introduction

The relationship between the environment and humans is quite important to consider since the deterioration of the environment poses a threat to people's well-being. Pollutants such as toxic heavy metals, non-biodegradable plastics, and tens of thousands of chemicals permeate the environment, air, water, and soil, on which human life depends. These pollutants are known to harm the environment and human health through the routes of inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. This paper aims to analyze the impact of environmental health on human health with the help of four articles. All the sources used in this paper contain specific facts and detailed descriptions of how specific environmental pollutants are dangerous to the human body and mind. Thus, reflecting the direct and indirect effects of these pollutants, this essay aims to provide a strong assertion that explains the need to implement effective environmental policies for the protection of people's health. This approach highlights the temporal dimension of the environment and health science, thereby emphasizing the significance of collaboration in addressing environmental concerns and their implications on the well-being of people.

Annotations

Ahmad, W., Alharthy, R. D., Zubair, M., Ahmed, M., Hameed, A., & Rafique, S. (2021). Toxic and heavy metals contamination assessment in soil and water to evaluate human health risk. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 17006. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94616-4

Ahmad et al. (2021) explore the problem of the presence of TMs and HMs in soil and water samples from industrial landfill areas in Sialkot, Pakistan, using ICP-OES for data analysis. The study is relevant by undertaking to quantify the effects on human health as well as the environment associated with bioaccumulative, persistent, and toxic metals like Chromium, Manganese, Copper, Arsenic, Cadmium, Barium, Mercury, and Lead. The study period also includes the ill effects of these pollutants on human health through the development of multiple cancers, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, and liver diseases because of the non-biodegradable nature of the contaminants.. The study determines the level of pollution and the risk index by considering a number of factors, such as the Geo-accumulation index (Igeo), Contamination factor (CF), and Potential ecological risk index (PERI). Also, the ADD, THQ, and CR factors are used to estimate risks of the potential human health impacts and provide a clear understanding that the presence of these metals is very dangerous for human health, especially in areas with industrial waste disposal. This work enriches the understanding of the impacts of environmental pollution arising from the handling of industrial waste and underlines the importance of pollution prevention for the welfare of people.

Chang, X., Xue, Y., Li, J., Zou, L., & Tang, M. (2019). Potential health impact of environmental micro‐ and nanoplastics pollution. Journal of Applied Toxicology, 40(1), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/jat.3915

In a recently published study, Chang et al. (2019) elaborated on the omnipresence of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment their adverse effects on human health, and thereby emphasized the relation between pollution and health risks. The work delineates how microplastics have particularly flowed from the land and spread into the marine and freshwater environment through oceans and rivers, surfacing into the food chain. The authors also lay emphasis on the most important method of uptake, which is the oral and inhalational routes through which humans come into contact with and are therefore able to take up these plastics, hence inferring the idea of consumption from water, seafood, and even the air. To a greater extent, the review has highlighted and interlinked the current information, be it concerning the bioavailability of the plastics in different biological compartments or focusing on the associated health hazards such as GI, hepatic, and reproductive toxicity. Notably, their conclusion is based on the inert nature of the particles themselves and the non-degradable property, leading to accumulation in the environment and consequent human exposure. The consequences of this exposure, particularly inflammation and metabolic disturbances, arise from the contact of the particles with human tissues and different systems of the human body. Chang et al. 's findings are significant in comprehending the many effects of microplastic pollution on human health and highlight the importance of implementing preventive measures to reduce the risk of exposure to the environment.

Sall, M. L., Diaw, A. K. D., Gningue-Sall, D., Efremova Aaron, S., & Aaron, J.-J. (2020). Toxic heavy metals: impact on the environment and human health, and treatment with conducting organic polymers, a review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(24), 29927–29942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09354-3

The systematic review by Sall et al. (2020) presents elaborate effects of toxic heavy metals on the environment and human health, with the negative impact of recent advanced applications of conducting organic polymers for their removal. The material focuses on other speciated heavy metals, specifically chromium and cadmium, the primary sources of non-degradable pollutants, mainly from industrial activities. It reviews conventional and recent technologies on the removal of heavy metals, majoring in the current innovative use of the conducting organic polymers—polyaniline and polypyrrole—are introduced—majorly applicable through their complex formation with heavy metal ions employed in the removal of the same from aqueous media. Uniqueness is given to the methods of various types of adsorption—cementation/ion exchange and adsorbility of heavy metals when conducting organic polymers. The application of conducting organic polymers is immensely innovative, efficient, cost-effective, and eco-friendly in removing heavy metals. This review provides an invaluable reference for the two major issues of heavy metal pollution and polymer technology for their mitigation, focusing on the health and environmental effects, thus contributing to debates on environmental pollution control and sustainable remediation technologies.

Shetty, S., Deepthi, D., Harshitha, S., Sonkusare, S., Naik, P., N, S. K., & Madhyastha, H. (2023). Environmental pollutants and their effects on human health. Heliyon, 9(9), e19496–e19496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19496

This comprehensive review by Shetty et al. (2023) meticulously details the wide variety of environmental pollutants and their widespread impacts on human health; they emphasize the interconnection between environmental degradation and health outcomes. The authors classify the pollutants broadly into air, water, and soil, each playing a unique and significant role in health risk. Airborne pollutants of interest include sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides from industrial activity and traffic, contributing to conditions such as asthma and bronchitis and even more chronic conditions like cancer. The paper describes the routes via ingestion and respiration that these pollutants follow to affect different organs, further deteriorating conditions, including cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Waterborne diseases such as cholera and hepatitis dominate as water pollutants but pose enormous risks, thus proved in the study correlating them to man's direct exposure through an infected water source. Direct contact or ingestion-related sources are shown to be responsible for soil pollution, exacerbated by the intensified use of pesticides and industrial waste, which underscores the contribution to neurological and developmental disorders. This report is basic in underlining the dose-response relationship to mean that the intensity and duration of the exposure to these pollutants determine the severity of the health outcome, therefore backing up the critical need for evidence of robust environmental health policies in mitigating human health risks.

Conclusion

Overall, the reviewed articles consistently highlight the negative impacts of environmental pollutants on human health and emphasize the importance of comprehensive and environmentally friendly solutions to pollution problems. The investigations by Shetty et al. (2023) provide details on the dose-response impacts of air, water, and soil pollutants on diverse diseases while also advocating for enhanced environmental protection. Chang et al. (2019) investigate the possible harms linked to micro-and nanoplastics, whereby they make clear the omnipresence of the contaminators in the environment, and these particles are directly linked to GI and metabolic diseases due to chronic human exposure. Moreover, Ahmad et al. (2021) present a complete review of toxic and heavy metals in industrial areas. It contains factual information about the bio-accumulate properties of these metals and their negative impacts on human health, such as cancer and neurological diseases. Through these findings, this study raises attention to industrial regions like Sialkot, thus generating awareness about this global concern of industrial pollution. At the same time, Sall et al. (2020) also investigated the new cleaned-up strategies of the contaminated place through the utilization of conducting organic polymers, which holds the potential solution to decrease the heavy metal concentrations from such areas and the resulting health effects. All these sources support the concept of active environmental management and pollution prevention. They stress the need for the implementation of new treatment methods, the development of sound policies, and the promotion of the public’s understanding of the threat posed by environmental pollutants to human health. This review of literature not only enriches knowledge on the environmental factors that influence health but also serves as a challenge to governments, scholars, and the international community to embrace stewardship of the environment through sustainable measures and technologies that can help eradicate the causes of environmental pollution and the subsequent effects on human health.