ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH
Our health is
determined by
much more than
genetic make-up or
lifestyle decisions.
What is Environmental Health
 Environmental health
comprises those aspects of human
health, including quality of life
determined by physical, chemical,
biological, social and
psychosocial factors in the
environment.
 It also refers to the theory and
practice of assessing, correcting,
controlling and preventing those
factors in the environment that can
potentially affect adversely the
health of present and future
generations.
 Environmental health
services are those services which
promote the improvement of
environmental parameters and
encourage the use of environmentally
friendly and healthy technologies
and behaviours.
 They also have a leading role in
developing and suggesting new
policy areas.
The Physical
Environment
Let us look at
some factors
that affect
quality of
life.
Air Quality
Air Quality Index: Smog Pollutants and Their
Impacts*
0–15 Very good No health effects are expected
Sensitive populations may in healthy people want to
exercise caution
16–31 Good No health effects are expected Sensitive
populations may in healthy people want to exercise
caution
32–49 Moderate Respiratory irritation in sensitive
People with respiratory disease people during vigorous
exercise; at some risk people with heart/lung disorders
at some risk; damages very sensitive plants
50–99 Poor Sensitive people may experience People
with respiratory disease irritation when breathing and
should limit prolonged exertion; possible lung damage
when general population at some risk physically active;
people withheart/lung disorders at greater risk;
damages some plants
100 Very poor Serious respiratory effects, even Serious
respiratory effects even and during light physical
activity; during light physical activity; over people with
heart/lung disorders at people with heart disease, the
high risk; more vegetation damage elderly and children
at high risk; increased risk for general population
Is Ontario's air quality getting
better or worse?
 Ontario's air quality has improved
steadily since 1988. We have good air
quality approximately 90 per cent of the
time.
What is smog?
 Smog is a general term used to describe a
mixture of air pollutants, dominated by
ground-level ozone and fine particulate
matter.
Where does smog come from?
 The contaminants that create smog are
released during the combustion of fossil
fuels in our vehicles, power plants,
factory boilers and homes. They are also
released by industrial processes, the
evaporation of liquid fuels and the use of
solvents and other volatile products such
as oil-based paints. Most of Ontario's
smog problems are caused by a
combination of local emissions and
pollutants carried by the wind from
pollution sources in the United States.
More than half of our smog problem
comes from south of the border.
Water Quality
A Fresh Outlook on Water
Ontario borders on four of the five
Great Lakes and we have more
than a quarter of a million lakes,
rivers and streams and rich
groundwater resources – not to
mention a multitude of plants and
animals that necessarily thrive in
such lush surroundings. This
natural wealth is a blessing. It’s the
basis for our prosperity, our growth
and our quality of life.
But with great wealth, comes great
responsibility. All of us in Ontario
have a role to play in protecting our
fresh water. Our lives depend upon
it as much as the air we breathe
and the soil we till.

MILTON:
Our municipality is serviced by the following drinking
water systems:

CAMPBELLVILLE WELL SUPPLY
MILTON WELL SUPPLY

INDEPTH: INSIDE WALKERTON
Walkerton report highlights
CBC News Online | January 2002


The most serious case of water contamination in Canadian history
could have been prevented by proper chlorination of drinking water,
according to a judicial inquiry report about Walkerton, Ontario's fatal
E. coli outbreak.
Seven people died and 2,300 became ill after Walkerton's water supply
became contaminated with manure spread on a farm near the town,
the report concludes.
The Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is part of the Ontario 's
government's commitment to implement all of the
recommendations of the Walkerton Inquiry. For the first
time, communities will be required to create and carry
out a plan to protect the sources of their municipal
drinking water supplies
The
Natural
Water
Cycle
From Nature to our Homes
Healthy Work Environments
Healthy work environments…
The three elements of a comprehensive
approach to a healthy work environment
are the following:
1. Occupational Health and Safety – for the
physical work environment
2. Organizational Wellness – creating a healthy
workplace culture
3. Workplace Health Promotion – making the
healthy choice the easy choice
 share an understanding that a healthy work
environment not only benefits employees through
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


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improved health and wellness but also benefits
customers, shareholders and communities
take a comprehensive approach to promoting
health and wellness
encourage workers to take responsibility for their
own health, safety and wellness and contribute to
creating a healthy work environment
create environments that make the healthy choice
the easy choice
provide information and resources to assist their
workers to make healthy lifestyle choices and to
achieve and maintain good health
promote work-life balance and make work a
healthy life experience
create a healthy physical, social and psychological
work environment as a core business goal
Social
Determinants
of Health
As early as 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a
state of complete physical, mental and social well being.” By 2000 the WHO
had further broadened their definition of health to be “a state of complete
physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living. It is a
positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical
capabilities.”
Canada versus Sweden
Canadian Health Stats
Sweden Health Stats
Statistics
Statistics
 Total population 32,577,000
 Gross national income per capita (PPP
 Total population 9,078,000
 Gross national income per capita (PPP




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
international $) 36,280
Life expectancy at birth m/f (years)
78/83
Healthy life expectancy at birth m/f
(years, 2003) 70/74
Probability of dying under five (per 1
000 live births) 6
Probability of dying between 15 and 60
years m/f (per 1 000 population) 89/55
Total expenditure on health per capita
(Intl $, 2006) 3,672 Total expenditure
on health as % of GDP (2006) 10.0




international $) 34,310
Life expectancy at birth m/f (years) 79/83
Healthy life expectancy at birth m/f (years,
2003) 72/75
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000
live births) 4
Probability of dying between 15 and 60
years m/f (per 1 000 population) 78/49
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl
$, 2006) 3,119
Total expenditure on health as % of GDP
(2006) 8.9
The Affects
Income and Social Status
Statistically Speaking


Only 47% of Canadians in the lowest income
bracket rate their health as very good or
excellent, compared with 73% of Canadians in
the highest income group.

Low-income Canadians are more likely to die
earlier and to suffer more illnesses than
Canadians with higher incomes, regardless of
age, sex, race and place of residence.

At each rung up the income ladder, Canadians
have less sickness, longer life expectancies and
improved health.

Studies suggest that the distribution of income
in a given society may be a more important
determinant of health than the total amount
of income earned by society members. Large
gaps in income distribution lead to increases
in social problems and poorer health among
the population as a whole.

Health status improves at each step up the income
and social hierarchy. High income determines
living conditions such as safe housing and ability
to buy sufficient good food. The healthiest
populations are those in societies which are
prosperous and have an equitable distribution of
wealth
Why are higher income and social status
associated with better health? If it were just a
matter of the poorest and lowest status groups
having poor health, the explanation could be
things like poor living conditions. But the effect
occurs all across the socio-economic spectrum.
Considerable research indicates that the degree of
control people have over life circumstances,
especially stressful situations, and their discretion
to act are the key influences. Higher income and
status generally results in more control and
discretion
Social Status Is Also Linked To Health.
• A major British study of civil service employees found that, for
most major categories of disease (cancer, coronary heart
disease, stroke, etc.), health increased with job rank.
• This was true even when risk factors such as smoking, which
are known to vary with social class, were taken into account.
• All the people in the study worked in desk jobs, and all had a
good standard of living and job security, so this was not an
effect that could be explained by physical risk, poverty or
material deprivation.
• Health increased at each step up the job hierarchy. For
example, those one step down from the top (doctors, lawyers,
etc.) had heart disease rates four times higher than those at the
top (those at levels comparable to deputy ministers).
•So we must conclude that something related to higher income,
social position and hierarchy provides a buffer or defence
against disease, or that something about lower income and
status undermines defences.
In life, we encounter certain risks
that can have an impact on our
health.
Knowledge is Power!
•Become aware of how your environment affects your health;
•Put an end to other negative lifestyle practices
•Increasing your knowledge of diseases and health conditions, and
in certain cases, on the steps you can take to help prevent them;