ENVIRONMENTAL DISEASES

ENVIRONMENTAL DISEASES

    

     The environment is composed of the outdoor and indoor and occupational environment occupied by small and large population. It also includes our own personal environment. The air we breathe from the environment and the food & water we consume from the environment and the exposure of toxic agents to the environment are major determinants of our health. Our personal environment is influenced by cigarette smoking, tobacco use, alcohol ingestion, therapeutic and non-therapeutic drug consumption and diet.

      The term environmental diseases refer to the conditions caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents in the ambient, workplace and personal environment, including diseases of nutritional origin.

Environmental Disease

Toxicology- It is defined as the science of poison including distribution, effects and mechanisms of action of toxic agents.

Poison- All the substances that are introduced by living organism causes illness or death.

Xenobiotics- They are the exogenous chemicals in the environment like air, water, food and soil that may be absorbed in the body through inhalation, ingestion and skin contact.

       Pollutants produce the disease conducting substances which are consumed by the several parts of human body such as skin, lung, GI tract (Gastrointestinal tract)  from the air, water, soil. They are absorbed into bloodstream thus causes the illness.

        In human body xenobiotics are subjected to phase I reactions i.e. hydrolysis, reduction and oxidation to produce primary metabolite which leads to phase II reactions such as glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation, conjugation to produce the secondary metabolite. This effects on cellular molecules like enzymes, receptors, membrane, DNA causing short and long term toxicological effects.

Air pollutants -Outdoor air pollutant includes Ozone, NO2, SO2, Acid aerosols etc. and indoor air pollutant includes Tobacco smoke, Wood smoke, radon, Formaldehyde etc.

Metal as environmental pollutants- lead, mercury, arsenic, camium.

Some diseases are informed below-

• hemolysis, bone-marrow suppression.
• Brain damage is prone to occur to the children
• kidney may develop tubular damage.
• several abdominal pain may occur.