Four Reasons Why Environmental Health is Important for Human Existence

Updated on May 13, 2023
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Environmental health is a necessitating factor of importance in the well-being of humanity because, without a healthy environment, humans are bound to face numerous consequences. We need clean air and clean water to live healthy lives.

Along with this, we need various food supplies from healthy plants and other natural resources in staple amounts to enjoy a sound and fit lifestyle. But just like the environment impacts human health, humanity also heavily influences environmental health of the environment. Every choice we make as individuals, families, or communities affects our surroundings and impacts both human existence and the environment.

Excellent and well-maintained environmental health is essential for human activities because it directly affects our health in the long term. According to several research studies, our surroundings and environment influence our quality and length of life. Around 1/4th of the death ratio is caused by environmental issues, which we could avoid only by being more careful.

Several countries have passed the bill to ensure a healthy environment to protect and promote sustainable development and the well-being of humanity. It is high time we all understand the crucial need to keep our atmosphere hygienic. Otherwise, we will face the lethal magnitudes of water pollution and increasing ecological concerns. Let’s have a look at how worsening environmental health impacts human life:

1. Increasing Intake of Hazardous Substances

Children worldwide are now at risk of exposure to hazardous substances in polluted water and air. Industrial wastages are one of the most significant sources of water contamination and dangerous gasses like nitrogen dioxide, which can cause several diseases when absorbed for a long time.

After the government’s pressure and legislative fines, factories hire experts to help them navigate the pollution issue and cause less trouble. In addition to environmental management, today, companies are more focused on industrial hygiene to protect the environment, their employees and other people. Companies are hiring professionals like industrial hygienists to control the situation.

Moreover, there is an increase in demand for these professionals. That is why a study on environmental health is important for human existence, and the reason more people want to join studies provides this field to advance their careers.

Online education made it easier for working professionals to access and perform regular activities and studies. Aspirants can opt for an online industrial hygiene degree that helps them understand environmental health issues.

2. Lower Life Expectancy

Breathing in unclean air can cause a shortening of lifespan – the contaminated air has gaseous pollutants, making it easier for infections and viruses to enter the human body. Research projects have suggested that ninety percent of humankind worldwide suffers from health and breathing issues because of unclean air. The most common air pollution causes are industrial waste, excessive vehicles, domestic wastages, and plastic discards. 

According to reports from World Health Organization, around 8 million people die due to ailments caused by polluted air. This ratio is much bigger than many other causes of death – such as road accidents or old age. Child mortality is also one of the major consequences of exposure to these contaminations, which cause neurological delays and lead to developmental issues like ADHD and Autism.

Even in the senior population, the environment and negative impact on brain activity can cause diseases such Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s syndrome. These ailments lead to lower life expectancy, causing a rise in the number of deaths all across the globe.

3. The Emergence of Unknown Ailments

The reason behind several health issues is the increasing pollution in the surroundings causing environmental health to decline. Even the natural food from plants and animals is now contaminated enough to lose most of its nutritional properties. Contaminated water from sewage, industrial expulsion, and agricultural waste has caused several to suffer from diseases like polio and typhoid.

Now, these ailments are exponentially multiplying into even more severe conditions, causing a deterioration in humans’ neurological, heart disease, respiratory, and reproductive systems. Undiscovered problems like pesticide poisoning, viruses like Corona, and cancerous illnesses like lymphoma are all causes of worsening environmental health issues.

However, for environmental and health problems, natural products like plants and herbs, which science and pharmaceuticals have proven to be medicine for many ailments, are also contaminated. Many plants are now threatened to go extinct, causing the planet to lose major drugs rapidly.

4. Climate Change

It is essential to ensure good environmental health, affecting human well-being and safety regarding natural calamities. One of the major problems catalyzing environmental public health is climate change, posing major risks to ecosystems and human physical and mental health.

Also, unpredictable climate change invites natural disasters like floods, storms, and tornadoes. According to science, the climate is becoming warmer and warmer each day. With pollution, the ozone layer is so damaged that fighting off harmful sun rays is becoming a challenge.

All this leads to an increase in temperature. When the temperature rises, the water vapor in the air reaches the clouds causing them to form a force of great magnitude, leading to heavy storms and rainfall.

These often become floods and tornadoes, damaging people and harming their agricultural growth and livestock. Recovering from these natural disasters is not easy and requires unparalleled energy and effort.

Conclusion

We can avoid all these traumatic changes around us only if we are a little more cautious about the environmental quality of our actions. You can start by limiting hazardous and toxic substances, especially unknown chemicals.

Organic skin and hair products make for much healthier environments and are safer for you. We can minimize the use of a vehicle, use a bicycle, or carpool whenever possible. Lastly, and most importantly, recycle your clothes, shoes, domestic applications, food, and plastic.

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.