The field of environmental health is varied and vast, covering everything from toxicology to food production and safety to the psychology of green spaces.
Using the disease causation triad, we know that diseases need three things to spread: an agent, a host, and an environment such as air, water, food, and sewage. Focusing on how and why a disease occurs, environmental health specialists recommend ways to prevent and stop outbreaks using environmental controls.
For this week, we are going to focus specifically on elements of the environment needed for life itself: climate, air, and water. To browse other environmental health topics, take a look at the CDC's National Center for Environment Health.
"But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitability a war against himself." Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring
All licensed content is in E-Reserves. Email the Librarians if you forget the password!
The Poisoned City by 
Poisoned Water by 
Environmental Health Ethics by 
Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health by 
Heat Wave by 
Land on Fire by 
Environmental Health by 
Fire on the Mountain by 
Enviromedics by 
Paradise by 
What the Eyes Don't See by 
Silent Spring by 
Fatal Isolation by Climate change is considered by most to be one of, if not, the greatest threats to human health in history. As the earth grows warmer, we experience more and more severe storms, rising sea levels, droughts, fires, extreme heat events, lowered air quality, migrating diseases, less access to potable water, food shortages, and more. This module provides you with a basic overview of climate change as a health issue.
Learning Objectives:
Read:
Watch:
Read: (in E-Reserves unless linked below)
McDermott-Levy, R., Scolio, M., Shakya, K. M., & Moore, C. H. (2021). Factors That Influence Climate Change-Related Mortality in the United States: An Integrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(15), 8220.
Supplemental Materials:
Excessive and extreme heat events are a serious public health threat because they increase daily mortality and morbidity especially in the elderly, young, poor, physically challenged, and mentality ill. For instance, during the 2003 European heat wave, more than 15,000 deaths occurred in France alone. The total death toll across Europe is estimated to be over 70,000 people.
For us in the Southeast US, the combination of heat and humidity cause the heat indices to rise, prompting heat advisories like this one from July 28, 2021 that warn "Never leave people or pets alone in a closed car. Drink plenty of water even if you don’t feel thirsty. Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing."
Learning Objectives:
Read: (in E-Reserves unless linked below)
Supplemental Materials:
Most people don't tend to think about water, but without water there is no life. Access to fresh drinkable water should be a basic human right but the earth only has a limited supply of water, and of all the water, only 3% is freshwater. Further, over a billion people lack safe water and basic sanitation. While we tend to think this only applies to developing countries, maintaining a safe supply of water is a fragile system rife with the potential health impacts. This module provides a basic overview of water and health from the Frumkin reading along with varied examples of water issues. Be sure to explore the CDC's waterborne disease website.
Learning Objectives:
Read:
Watch:
Read: (in E-Reserves unless linked below)
Supplemental Materials:
Most people don't consider air quality either, however, air quality is a huge public health issue. Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen, and mold spores may be suspended as particles. Ozone is a major part of air pollution in cities. And, of course, water, air, and heat all affect one another.
Learning Objectives:
Read:
Watch:
Read: (in E-Reserves unless linked below)
Supplemental Materials:
Learning Objectives:
Watch:
Read: