Environmental health: Nursing

Environmental health is focused on how human health and wellbeing is influenced by the environment in homes, schools, workplaces and communities exposure to environmental hazards in the air, water, land and food supply can negatively impact health.

As the nurse, you will promote environmental health by assessing and managing environmental risk factors, providing education and advocating for policies that support healthy environments.

Ok. So hazards to environmental health can involve the air, water, land and food supply.

Starting with air, both outdoor and indoor air quality can be affected. Outdoor air quality is affected by natural events like smoke from wildfires and human activities like emissions from driving motor vehicles, also industrial processes such as emissions from chemical plants, power plants and waste incineration that release heavy metals and other toxic chemicals into the atmosphere leading to poor air quality.

On the other hand, indoor air quality like within homes, schools and workplaces can be impacted by factors like the use of certain appliances such as gas stoves that have the potential to produce carbon monoxide building materials such as those that contain formaldehyde and tobacco smoke.

Another cause of poor indoor air quality is the presence of pests like cockroaches that release allergens in their feces, saliva and shed skin, which can affect individuals with allergies or asthma.

Poor air quality is also linked to other health problems such as cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, certain types of cancer and even birth defects, poor air quality can be especially harmful for older adults, small Children and those with preexisting respiratory conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Next up is water. The quality of surface water like rivers, lakes and streams and groundwater can be contaminated through a variety of routes.

These can include stormwater runoff from paved roads and parking lots, soil erosion from clear tracts of land, like with clear cut logging and pesticides and fertilizers that run off from agricultural lands and into nearby waterways.

On top of that microorganisms such as E coli can be introduced into the water supply through leaking septic systems, poorly treated wastewater or runoff from farms.

Poor water quality can not only contribute to infectious diseases but certain pollutants can interfere with endocrine functions by mimicking, blocking or interfering with hormones in the body.

Leading to a variety of health issues. As far as environmental hazards involving the land are concerned.

Sometimes toxins remain in the soil in areas that were previously used for certain industries like heavy metals left behind from mining operations.

At other times, the soil can be contaminated from oil spills or industrial chemical leaks or from harmful chemicals that leach into the soil from landfills.

Another important soil contaminant is lead which is a neurotoxin and can come from the peeling and flaking of lead based paint that was used in older homes.

Children are especially at risk of exposure to soil contaminated with lead which they can pick up when playing outside. Last up is the food supply.

There are risks associated with pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables that can be toxic to humans. There are also concerns about the use of growth hormones used in dairy cows to increase milk production because it's thought that it can potentially increase the amount of insulin like growth factor one or IGF one in the milk supply, which could be linked to certain cancers in humans.

In addition, antibiotics are often given to livestock to promote growth. This can lead to the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria which can then be spread to humans causing infections that are difficult or impossible to treat at other times.

Improper food processing can lead to foodborne illness. Outbreaks from pathogens like E coli salmonella and listeria.

Lastly, mercury released by coal fired power plants and other industrial processes, pollutes the air by releasing toxic chemicals which can enter bodies of water through rain, snow and run off.

Once the water is contaminated, it enters the food chain and concentrates in larger fish like tuna, shark and swordfish.

The neurotoxic effects of mercury are associated with developmental problems and other adverse effects particularly in developing fetuses and Children.

As the nurse you'll promote environmental health in your community by assessing and managing environmental risk factors, providing education and advocating for policies that support healthy environments begin by performing a community assessment also sometimes called an environmental scan.

To do this, you can do a windshield survey which is an observation of your community typically done while driving but can also be done by walking around your community.

If your community is urban, take note of housing conditions such as the presence of abandoned houses and houses with peeling paint, identify any problems like trash, build up and presence of associated pests and determine proximity of homes to potential pollution sources like large factories, waste sites and major roadways.

If your community is rural, identify the presence and frequency of pesticide and herbicide spray. Note any commercial large scale farms and consider evidence of contaminated water systems.

Next, you can determine risks to individuals within your community to do this. You can use the I prepare pneumonic to help gather additional information.

I stands for investigate potential exposures where you'll consider if your patient has signs of exposure. For example, you can ask, do you have any symptoms that resolve when you're away from your home?

P is for present work and includes information of exposures in the workplace such as radiation chemicals as well as accessibility to personal protective equipment.

You may ask, are you exposed to aerosols, dust or fumes? And if so do you wear a protective mask?

R stands for residents, which involves information about living spaces. For instance, you can ask what year was your residence built or what is your source of drinking water?

E is for environmental concerns where you'll inquire about the quality of the air, water and soil. You can ask questions such as what type of farms are near your home or do you live near a power plant or landfill?

The second P stands for past work in which you can explore past employment in relation to hazardous exposure. You may ask, what are your past work experiences or have you ever worked on a farm in a mine or construction?

A is for activities or personal hobbies like gardening where there could be exposures such as to pesticides. For instance, you may ask, do you garden fish or hunt and do you eat what you grow or catch?

The second R is for referrals and resources like to the local health department or poison control as indicated. For example, if your patient's home has high levels of lead, you can refer them to a lead specialist and provide resources that support temporary relocation.

The second is for education and involves providing information on preventing future exposures and mitigating risk. For instance, if your patient has a private well, you can encourage them to have their water tested annually, especially if they live in an area where there's high potential for groundwater contamination.

Lastly, advocate for environmental health and justice by serving on committees and participating in local forums. At the policy level.

You can contact your legislators to communicate issues you've identified in your community and request government action to address threats to your community's environmental health.

All right. As a quick recap, environmental health is focused on how human health and wellbeing is influenced by the environment in homes, schools, workplaces and communities exposure to environmental hazards in the air, water, land and food supply can negatively impact health.

As the nurse, you'll promote environmental health by assessing and managing environmental risk factors, providing education and advocating for policies that support healthy environments.