Environmental Control and Public Health

Dr. Shiqiang Yan

City University London

Prof. Stephan Jefferies

Environmental Geotechnics Ltd Contact

E-mail: s.yan@city.ac.uk Office : C351 Tel: 3330 Tuesday/Thursday: 16:00-17:00

What is Environment?
External conditions or surrounding in which people, plants and animals live, which tend to influence their development and behaviour. Environment is taken to relate to natural media air, water, soil, land and natural resources landscape and the countryside, and, manmade developments such as buildings and roads -- UK Strategy on Sustainable Development The Environments is everything which isnt me -- Einstein

Constituents of Environment
All aspects of the surroundings of human beings, whether affecting human beings as individuals or in social groupings; Natural resources including air, land and water; Ecosystems and biological diversity; Social, economic, and cultural circumstances; Infrastructure and associated equipment; Any solid, liquid, gas, odour, heat, noise, vibration, or radiation resulting directly or indirectly from the activities of human beings; Identified natural assets such as natural beauty, outlooks, and scenic routes; Identified historical and heritage assets; Aesthetic assets; Public health characteristics; Identifiable environmental planning, environmental protection / management, pollution control, natural conservation, and other mitigation measures. Gilpins (1995)

Sustainability
Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need World Commission on Environment and Development

Human beings are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature

Public Health
Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts for
the sanitation of environment, the control of community infections, the education of the individual in the principles of personal hygiene, the organisation of medical and nursing service for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease, and the development of the social machinery which will ensure to every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health.
Winslow, C.E.A. (1951), The Cost of Sickness and the Price of Health, World Health Organisation, WHO Monograph Series No. 7

Public Health and the Environments

Many impacts on human health are mediated through, or influenced by, the biophysical environment. There are many health problems which are directly associated with systemic poverty, e.g. lack of water supply, infrastructure and poor sanitation may be associated with high-level water-borne disease.

Air pollution

Water pollution (oil)

Land pollution(Solid waste)

John Snow 1813-1858 Founder of Epidemiology

Challenged the commonly held belief that the outbreaks of cholera and typhoid in London were associated with the miasma of the industrial revolution. It was believed that the diseases were transmitted through the air hence the early attempts at control via the first Alkali Act of 1863. It was only many years after his death, that Snows work was properly recognised.

Broad Street Pump

The 1854 cholera outbreak seemed concentrated on this area. Snow studied why the men in the Broad Street brewery were unaffected as were many in the work house. He mapped the houses where fatalities had occurred and became increasingly convinced it had something to do with the water from the pump. He had the handle of the pump removed forcing people to use an alternative supply. The outbreak rapidly declined in this area.

Grand Experiment
Snow had developed a theory which he tested in his "Grand Experiment", and was carried out throughout the cholera outbreak of 1853-54. He carefully analyzed the cholera deaths in London, correlating them with the source of drinking water. As well as hand pumps, much of London's population received machine-pumped water. This water was not treated in any way. Two companies supplied water like this. Due to new laws, the Lambeth Company had started to take its water from the River Thames about 20 miles up-stream of London, but the Southwark and Vauxhall Water Company was still taking its water from local wells and the Thames in Central London.

No Houses Southwark & Vauxhall Co Lambeth Co Rest of London 40,046 26,107 256,423

Cholera deaths 1,263 98 1,422

Deaths/10,000 houses 315 37 59

Hence, Snow showed a strong correlation between the cholera death rate and the water source. The data also shows that a water source up-river of the London area was the safest option, whilst taking water directly from the Thames in Central London was more dangerous than other local water sources combined. Although this now seems conclusive, it was not accepted by the medical profession until some years after Snows death. The causative organism a bacterium was not accepted until the pioneering work on bacteriology of Koch and Pasteur later in the century

Public Health and the Environments

Economic circumstances are often linked, but its relationship with public health is not straightforward. Economic is a double-edged sword.
Potential new threats derive from the very techniques which have driven economic growth and industrialisation, and which have enabled us to exploit and control our environment so effectively , e.g. energy intensive technologies

Environmental threats to human health are trans-boundary and cannot be regulated effectively on a local, regional or national basis. For example, Chernobyl incident, Japan Nuclear problems.

Control Environment How?

Environmental System
If we can control the environment, why didnt we do the right thing ? Complexity
Complexity in nature and human activity ; Interaction between different components; Systemic integration

Uncertainty
What is right and wrong? Snows case Results may be not obvious or unpredictable.

What can we do?

Obviously, the engineer can only involve himself or herself professionally in certain aspects of this work but the theme of community efforts and co-operation towards achieving the goals should not be forgotten. Always think about the possible impacts on the environments and public health throughout the whole civil project procedure.
Planning Design Construction Complete

Main area cover: Water supply, waste treatment and disposal, pollution control and management

Public Health and Pollutions

Pollutions may be any matter or energy; may occur any time; may transfer from one media to another Pollutions usually lead to an impact on public health Pollutions Tolerances : Need to consider specific time, location and people. Pollutions may be managed and controlled

Ongoing Challenges
This has been brought clearly into focus in recent years with public concern being expressed authoritatively and vocally when issues of pollution and conservation of the environment become known.
('Pollution: The Professionals and the Public', K. Attenborough et al, Open University Press, 1977)

Climate change Aesthetics Energy Supply Food Supply Socio-political issues Population growth Top priority, the protection of public health Part of the team delivering Preventative (Primary) Health Care Reduction in the need for Physicians

Course Context
1) Introduction ; 2) Public Health: Microbiology, Water Related Diseases, Epidemiolog;

3) Environmental System and Legal framework ; 4) Hydrology and Water supply; 5) Public Health : Sewerage Design 6) Water and waste water treatment; waste reuse and recycle

Public Health and Water Supply

The removal of human waste via wastewater management, treatment and disposal is intrinsically linked to water supplies and must be. Effective sanitation can only be achieved where an adequate supply of safe water is also provided.

Public Health and Hydrology

The pollutants transports closely related to the hydrological cycles. Hydrology forms the basis of water supply system (surface water, ground water);
Water vapour transport Precipitation Evaporation Evaporation Precipitation Interception

Surface water Surface flow Ground flow Soil moisture Groundwater Percolation

(Original figure downloaded from http://www.louisianacoastalwetlands.com)

Hydrologic cycle

Public Health and Hydrology

Hydrology forms the basis of waste water treatment;
Sewerage Waste water treatment

Distribution system

Water process

River