Author: justin

A public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic makes caring for one’s health a critical step to avoid getting sick. Many people have switched or readjusted their lifestyle to become healthier. Some measures taken include exercising regularly, eating nutrient-rich meals, and starting a vegetable garden.

With or without a pandemic, however, public health is closely intertwined with commerce and the environment. The global population has now reached over 7.8 billion, resulting in greater competition to access, own, and use both land and water resources between the haves and the have-nots. Thus, if the population boom is left unmitigated, a crippling shortage of natural resources will happen progressively and eventually will lead to environmental degradation.

Environmental degradation and its impact on women’s health

People’s wanton disregard for the environment has resulted in climate change, disease outbreaks, and pollution (land, water, and air), among others. The growing depletion of natural resources and the destruction of natural habitat have contributed to physical, aesthetic, and ecological degradation. Examples of these situations include: (1) disfigured land surfaces and destroyed watersheds in areas with open-cast mining, (2) mountains of trash in waste landfills that have made these places unattractive, and (3) endangerment/extinction of certain species and deforestation evolving from disrupted biodiversity.

Such problems affect people’s quality of life. Women and girls, for instance, get adversely affected in the face of environmental disasters. As they comprise the world’s impoverished majority, they suffer from stress caused by the loss of livelihood, poor health, and inadequate access to resources, including food and nutrition, safe water, clean air, and fertile land. Many continue to be burdened by their caregiving and household responsibilities, which are mostly – if not entirely – unpaid.

Recycling plastic shopping bags for environmental conservation

It is vital for women and girls to improve their health to counter the stress coming from external sources. Some of them have taken the leap to own and operate a business that caters to their needs as they embrace an active lifestyle.

There are female entrepreneurs like the founders of aim’n who want business sustainability without further degrading the environment. They manufacture and promote goods, such as women’s activewear, that contain harmless substances or are made of recycled materials. Likewise, they employ environment-friendly packaging standards for their products. They use double seal plastic bags that are compostable and reusable.

Indeed, recycling plastic shopping bags – including those used for selling women’s activewear – can help protect the environment that has been scarred by human disruption. As part of the reduce, reuse, and recycle (3Rs) approach, it contributes to minimizing the ecological footprint of business establishments and individual clients. It also promotes good practice in waste management.

Floods are devastating to the environment and ecosystems in the affected region. They have a direct impact on humans, social life, the economy as well as the ecosystem. Floods have negative and positive consequences and vary based on area, depth, time and water speed. Here are the collective impacts of floods on the environment.

Erosion and Sedimentation

High-speed flood water causes riverbank erosion. Developed and urban areas become the most affected in this case. Sedimentation clogs rivers and reduces the storage capacity for wetlands and dams. Flood water carries a vast quantity of sediments leaving behind deposits after the water recedes. If the impact is extreme, floods reduce water quality, affect industrial use and the supply of water to humans.

Destruction of Property

Floods lead to the destruction of property in developed areas where humans reside. That could be in urban areas and plains. The supply of essential services like drinking water, electricity, and transport become interrupted. In many properties, floods clog different households with water, and in worse conditions, floods sweep them away. If your items in the house are affected by floods, you can check royaldesign.com for better deals to replace the worn-out items. That is because you are likely to need to replace household items after the devastating consequences of flooding.

Dispersion of Debris and Pollutants

You will find debris, nutrients, plastics, and different pollutants in floodwater. Contaminants such as pesticides, bacteria, and chemical reagents diffuse, quickly reducing water quality. The most common debris found includes stones, trees, and pieces of destroyed property that end up affecting the natural habitats of marine species that reside in rivers and seas.

Injuries and Death

Floods lead to injuries and death among humans and livestock. The number of those affected depends on the magnitude of the flood, and the total population living in those regions determine fatalities. Highly populated areas are likely to report more cases than low populated areas. Slow-rising riverbank floods allow people to relocate to safe areas and minimises the number of casualties. However, flash floods are likely to take people by surprise, increasing the number of fatalities.

Soil pollution occurs when harmful substances like chemicals are deposited in the soil. When these substances are deposited in excess amounts, the soil becomes alkaline in nature. Alkaline soil is often unfit for growing plants and directly affects animals and humans who consume the plants. Soil pollution is a big problem, especially in developing countries.

Causes

Agriculture

Chemicals are used in agriculture with the aim of increasing yields, preventing the growth of harmful herbs or killing pests and harmful fungi. The purpose for chemical use is very genuine but the side effects are felt by plants, animals and human beings. Since fertilizers and farm chemicals are not organic in nature, they don’t decompose with time. As a result, the chemicals end up seeping into the ground, and polluting the soil and ground water. Others are excessively absorbed by plants, making them toxic and unfit for human consumption.

Industrial Wastes

Industries produce large amounts of toxic wastes, which are often released into the environment. Several measures have been put in place to help manage industrial wastes, but it is still one of the leading causes of soil pollution. Improper waste disposal from industries has raised an alarm and a lot needs to be done to prevent the havoc caused by these wastes.

Human Wastes

We play a major role in causing soil pollution through our daily activities. Domestic wastes released from our households pollute the soil. Additionally, sewage leakages also end up on the land, causing pollution. Proper human waste disposal and management should be done in order to avoid this kind of pollution.

Deforestation

Deforestation occurs when trees and other vegetation are cut down without being replaced. This exposes the soil to various agents of erosion. The bare land exposes a lot of soil to the already contaminated air, causing soil pollution, as the trees that act as wind breaks have been cleared.

Effects of Soil Pollution

There are various effects of soil pollution that affect the entire ecosystem. The impacts are massive and affect human and plant life. They include:

• Increased cases of diseases caused by consuming foods that have been grown on contaminated soil
• Climate change, which causes global warming, leading to the disruption of the ecosystem.
• Reduced soil fertility, which leads to low agricultural production

Water pollution occurs when untreated waste substances or chemicals are released into water. When polluted water is consumed, it affects the health of plants, animals and human beings. The use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture, such as pesticides, herbicides and insecticides, to control pests and disease in farms causes water contamination, when surface runoff occurs. Wastes from factories, especially raw sewage, heavy metals like lead and mercury cause contamination when discharged into water bodies. Millions of people have been affected all over the world because of consuming polluted water and other food products that have been contaminated by polluted water.

Causes of Water Pollution

Waste management process has not been fully taken into consideration worldwide. Waste disposal and recycling methods are still a big challenge to many nations. Some commonly known sources of water pollutants which include:

• Agricultural chemicals like herbicides, insecticides and pesticides
• Domestic wastes
• Detergents and fertilizers
• Industrial effluents

Typically, these harmful pollutants and by-products are directly released into water sources leading to contamination. Others like farm chemicals are washed down into water bodies or percolate the soil into the ground, causing contamination to ground water.

Effects of Water Pollution

Diseases: Various water borne diseases affect humans when they take or consume polluted water. The disastrous health effects are felt by both the young and the aged. Diseases like typhoid, hepatitis, cholera are easily spread by taking contaminated water.

Eutrophication: Hazardous chemicals and metals in water bodies encourage the growth of algae. These aquatic plants are food for certain bacteria which are known to reduce the amount of oxygen in the water. The algae form layers in the water and affect other aquatic lives due to reduced circulation of oxygen in water.

Destruction of ecosystems: Ecosystems comprise of both the flora and fauna. They are often affected whenever the environment is altered in a negative way. Water pollution destroys the entire ecosystem’s food chain if it is not kept in check. An unbalanced ecosystem cannot be self-sustaining, and this could mean extinction for some species.

Prevention

Water and sewage treatment measures should be put in place to reduce water pollution. Wastes from industries and households should be treated before they are released into water bodies.

It’s high time people should consider using environmentally friendly products with less or no toxic content. We’re not saying that these measures are not being implemented, but some kind of reinforcement is needed to lower water pollution even more.

Air pollution refers to the contamination of air through the release of harmful dust particles, smoke or gases from factories, households, vehicles etc into the atmosphere. This occurs when the air in the atmosphere is altered, chemically, physically or biologically. The alteration makes the air dirty and unfit for humans, plants and animals.

Causes

Mining

During mining, various equipment are used to carry out different activities like drilling, excavating, blasting of rocks, among others. These activities release dust, smoke and even chemicals into the atmosphere, causing massive air pollution. These pollutants affect the health of miners and people living around mines.

Burning of Fossil Fuels

When fossil fuels, such as petroleum and coal are burned, sulfur dioxide, which is a harmful gas, is emitted into the atmosphere, causing air pollution. Polluted gas and smoke emitted from cars, trains, trucks and airplanes that we often use as our means of transport also contribute to air pollution. Other gases like carbon monoxide released as a result of incomplete fuel combustion and nitrogen oxides produced during our daily activities, such as when burning garbage and from untreated waste materials released from factories also cause air pollution.

Agricultural Activities

Hazardous gases like ammonia are often released from fertilizers used in agriculture. The frequent use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and other farm chemicals also pollute the air. These products also cause water pollution when they are washed into water bodies during rainy seasons.

Exhaust from Factories and Industries

Manufacturing is one of the biggest and fastest growing sectors in the world. Large amounts of untreated gases that are released into the atmosphere like carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and sulfur are very dangerous to human and plant life. Chemical wastes, organic compounds, and hydrocarbons that are emitted from factories and industries also affect the quality of air.

Effects of Air Pollution

Respiratory and Heart Problems

Air pollution affects millions of people. Studies have linked numerous respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia and asthma, to air pollution. Increased cases of cancer and heart conditions have also been reported across the world to have affected and even cost millions of lives thanks to air pollution.

Global Warming

The adverse effects of global warming are felt in various countries, ranging from increased temperature and severe drought to increased cases of flooding, melting of icebergs and loss of natural flora. The polluted air eats up the ozone layer, exposing lives to harmful heat radiation.

Acid Rain

Acid rain forms when water droplets combine with air pollutants, such as sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere. The mixture cools, condenses and falls as acidic rain. Acidic rain is known to be corrosive in nature and causes damage to iron surfaces. It also causes serious health problems if the water is consumed by people and animals.