Human health and the environment. Environment and public health

"The influence of the environment on human health"

“Health from above is given to us,

Learn, man, take care of him! "

Any human activity becomes the main source of environmental pollution. Due to environmental pollution occursdecrease in soil fertility, land degradation and desertification, death of flora and fauna, deterioration of atmospheric air quality, surface and ground waters ... Together, this leads to disappearance from the face of the Earth intactecosystems and species, worsening public health and decrease in human life expectancy.

The environmental situation affects human health. Violation of the ecological balance or the so-called ecological scissors is a dangerous disruption of the human adaptation mechanism. The body responds with various disorders to the harmful effects of physical radiation; occupational diseases for unpreparedness for new professions; neuropsychic instability to information overload and overcrowding, excessive noise in cities;allergic reactionsto change chemical composition environment.

About 85% of all diseases modern man associated with unfavorable environmental conditions arising from his own fault. Not only does the health of people fall catastrophically: previously unknown diseases have appeared, their causes can be very difficult to establish. Many diseases have become more difficult to heal than before. Therefore, the problem "Human health and the environment" is now very acute.

AIR

Negative effects on human health and the environment are caused byindustrial enterpriseslocated in the city near residential areas. These are enterprises of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, coal and ore mining and processing industry... All these objects of the national economy arepowerful sources of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere... About 1.5 million tons of hazardous industrial waste are emitted into the region's atmosphere annually. A high level of air pollution is observed in many densely populated cities. As a result of human economic activity in the atmosphere, the presence of various solid and gaseous substances... Emitted into the atmosphere oxides of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, hydrocarbons, lead compounds, dust, etc. have various toxic effects on the human body.

The harmful substances contained in the atmosphere affect the human body upon contact withskin surface or mucous membrane... Along with the respiratory organs, pollutants damage the organs of sight and smell. Polluted air irritates most of the respiratory tract, causing bronchitis, asthma, the general state of human health worsens: headaches, nausea, a feeling of weakness appear, and the ability to work is reduced or lost. It has been established that production wastes such as chromium, nickel, beryllium, asbestos, and many pesticides cause cancer.

WATER

Has a negative impact on human health drinking water ... Diseases transmitted through contaminated water cause health problems and the death of a huge number of people. Open water sources are especially polluted: rivers, lakes, ponds. There are many cases when contaminated water sources have caused epidemics of cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, which are transmitted to humans as a result of pollution of water bodies with pathogens and viruses. Water quality in most rivers does not meet regulatory requirements. Studies have shown that the use of water as drinking water supplied through water pipes leads the population to cardiovascular and renal pathologies, diseases of the liver, biliary tract and gastrointestinal tract.

THE SOIL

Sources of pollution soil serve agricultural and industrial enterprises, as well as residential buildings. At the same time, industrial and agricultural facilities enter the soil chemical (including very harmful to health: lead, mercury, arsenic and their compounds), as well asorganic compounds... From the soil, harmful substances and pathogenic bacteria can penetrate into the groundwater, which can be absorbed from the soil by plants, and then enter the human body through milk and meat. Diseases such as anthrax and tetanus are transmitted through the soil. Every year, the city accumulates in the surrounding territories about 3.5 million tons of solid and concentrated waste of approximately the following composition: ash and slag, solid residues from the general sewage system, wood waste, municipal solid waste, construction waste, car tires, paper, textiles, forming urban landfills. For decades they have been accumulating garbage, burning incessantly, poisoning the air.
The level of industrial noise is very high, which in noisy industries reaches 90-110 decibels and more. Constant exposure to strong noise can lead to a decrease in hearing sensitivity, and cause other harmful effects - ringing in the ears, dizziness, headache, increased fatigue, decreased immunity, contributes to the development of hypertension, coronary heart disease and other diseases. Disturbances in the human body due to noise become noticeable only over time. Noise interferes with normal rest and recovery and interferes with sleep. Systematic lack of sleep and insomnia lead to severe nervous disorders. Therefore, great attention should be paid to protecting sleep from noise stimuli.

SOCIETY

For man the environment is not only nature, but also society... Therefore, social conditions also affect the state of the body and its health. The family influences the formation of character, on spiritual health its members. In general, in the city, family members communicate little with each other, often gather only for dinner, but even during these short hours, family members' contacts are suppressed by watching television programs. The daily routine of family members is one of the indicators of lifestyle. Violation of rest, sleep, nutrition in the family leads to the development of a number of diseases in most family members: cardiovascular, neuropsychic, metabolic disorders.

All these factors have a significant impact on the stability of the family, and, therefore, adversely affect the health of the population as a whole.

In cities, a person comes up with thousands of tricks for the convenience of his life. Scientific and technological progress has significantly changed and improved human life, made it more comfortable. However, the implementation of some achievements of scientific and technological progress has yielded not only positive results, but at the same time brought a whole range of unfavorable factors: an increased level of radiation, toxic substances, combustible fire hazardous materials, noise. For example, the saturation of the human environment and production with high-speed and high-speed machines increases stress, requires additional efforts from a person, which leads to overwork.
Given the ability of green spaces to favorably influence the state of the environment, they must be brought as close as possible to the place of life, work, study and recreation of people. Therefore, the total area of ​​green spaces in cities should occupy more than half of its territory.

THE NATURE OF HUMAN HEALTH

Pollution of the human environment primarily affects their health, physical endurance, performance, as well as their fertility and mortality. The impact of the natural environment on humans - through human dependence on natural means of subsistence, on the abundance or lack of food, that is, game, fish, plant resources.

Man realizes himself not only as a subject, but also as an object of living nature. And this, according to ecologists, is a necessary prerequisite for the prosperity of mankind. First of all, because in the conditions of the ever increasing manifestation of the undesirable - "reverse" side human activity in the biosphere, the issue of satisfying human ecological needs is becoming especially acute.

Environmental pollution in a number of countries and regions of the world has now created a global problem for the further economic and social development of mankind, the health of present and future generations of people. The overcrowding of the population in urban agglomerations only enhances its severity.

The ability to adapt to negative influences is different for people with different levels of health and physical fitness. The adaptive characteristics of a person depend on the type of his nervous system. The weaker type (melancholic) is more difficult to adjust and is often prone to severe breakdowns. A strong, mobile type (sanguine) psychologically adapts more easily to new conditions.

At the same time, as shown by special studies, in people with a higher level of physical fitness, the stability of the body is significantly higher than in people with low general physical fitness. That's whyyou need to play sports and carry onhealthy lifestyle

Conclusion

Philosophy explores, as is known, the most general laws development of nature, society and thinking. It is obvious that the analysis of the relationship between man and the biosphere, society and nature is nothing more than an integral part of the philosophical and ecological aspect, which in modern conditions becomes essential, requiring appropriate theoretical understanding. The scientific understanding of the relationship "man - nature" presupposes an understanding, on the one hand, of the unity of the constituent components of this relationship, and on the other hand, their differences due to the social, different from natural, human essence.

Health is a capital given to a person by nature from the beginning, having lost it, it is difficult to return it back.

In the modern world, the impact of the environment on human health has become a global problem requiring drastic measures. Today, much is being said about the protection of nature and water resources, but little is being done. The decline in soil fertility continues, the death of flora and fauna, deterioration of air properties, pollution of freshwater lakes and rivers.

The main types of pollution

Let's consider the most common types of pollution... The most common are permanent chemical emissions industrial enterprises, cars, boiler rooms. Growth in carbon dioxide leads to a gradual increase in temperature on our planet. It is urgent the problem of modern humanity.

The oceans are suffering from human activities in the oil refining industry. Areas in the vicinity of oil fields are subject to devastating industrial waste... This leads to disruption of gas exchange between the hydrosphere and.

The most dangerous is radioactive radiation... The radiation disaster has irreversible consequences: development of genetic diseases, oncology, neurological diseases, early aging.

We have summarized the main sources representing danger to life negatively affecting human health.

The reasons for the deterioration of the situation

Ecology studies interaction of living things and plants with the environment and the results of human activity. How it affects our health Environmental pollution and human health are closely interconnected.

Air

How is it going atmospheric influence on the human body? It changes every season and every day - temperature, pressure, humidity. A healthy body quickly gets used to and adapts to changes. But there are categories of patients and meteosensitive people whose organisms have difficulty adapting to weather changes, to various cataclysms, so they do not feel well with sudden changes in temperature, surges in atmospheric pressure.

When harmful substances enter the atmosphere, air pollution... Many substances, coming into contact with other natural elements, are modified, becoming even more dangerous. The most common consequences of this process are ozone holes, acid rain, greenhouse effect and smog. According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2014, the cause of the annual doom and almost 3.8 million people becomes exactly air pollution... The total number of people who died due to inhalation of contaminated air in open and closed spaces has reached 7 million. Do not forget about the impact negative ecology on the development of cancer. According to WHO research, air pollution is the main the cause of the appearance of cancerous tumors.

Important! If you want to protect yourself from unwanted consequences in own home and outdoors, review your city's ambient air reports daily. Based on the data obtained, take measures to protect yourself.

The soil

Soil is an invaluable resource that gives a person a chance to exist. The main reason soil pollution becomes the man himself. It is estimated that over the past hundred years, approximately 28% of all fertile soils on the planet have been eroded. Every year, a large part of the land loses fertile layer turning into a desert. affects health, because all the food we eat is grown on the earth. Lead, cadmium, mercury, and sometimes even cyanides (compounds of arsenic and beryllium) can be found in modern food. These substances have one dangerous property- are not excreted from the body.

Important! The influence of an unfavorable ecology on a person can increase significantly if the body lacks vitamins of groups A, B and C.

Agriculture should be discussed separately. To combat weeds and pests, agricultural producers use pesticides, which end up first in the soil and then in food. Fertilizers are divided into several types:

• herbicides- serve to destroy harmful plants;
• insecticides- used to fight insects;
• fungicides- are used against fungal formations;
• zoocides- created to combat animal pests.

All of them are contained in food products in a certain amount. You see how closely nature and human health are linked.

Arable land most of all are subject to degradation, and repeated grazing of animals on the same territory leads to the destruction of the grass cover, which is especially noticeable after grazing sheep. Irrigation of the land also causes negative impacts, leading to its salinization.

Surface and groundwater

It has been established that more than 400 types of various substances can cause water pollution... To find out if the water is drinkable, it is subjected to special processing... It goes through three stages: sanitary and toxicological, general sanitary and organoleptic. If at least one indicator is exceeded, the water is considered contaminated.

Water pollution are divided into three types:

• chemical ( oil and products of its processing, dioxins, pesticides, heavy);
• biological(contains viruses and other pathogens);
• physical(radioactive substances,).

The most common types of water pollution are the first two. Relatively less common is radioactive, thermal and mechanical.

The process itself pollution of surface and ground waters, including drinking, is due to various factors. The main ones include:

• leakage of oil and oil products;
• ingress of pesticides from fields into water systems;
• gas, smoke and dust emissions;
• discharge into sewage water systems.

Exists natural sources of pollution... They include highly saline groundwater and sea water, which are introduced into freshwater by improper operation of water intake facilities.

The importance of ecology

Ecology affects health on a daily basis. Environmental concerns are inextricably linked to our everyday life... The state of the environment affects the food that we eat, the water that we drink and that we inhale.

Impact polluted air — actual problem big cities. The air of large industrial cities contains a huge concentration of chemical substances, which contributes to the development of various diseases, including cancer. Pathologies of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, gastrointestinal tract, blood, allergic and endocrine diseases are the consequences of the influence environment for development pathogenic microflora, degenerative and other changes.

Important! During pregnancy, the fetus is very sensitive to all external pathogens. Environmental factors play an important role in shaping a child's health.

Plant food and water that we consume daily are taken from the soil. Nowadays, almost every farm uses fertilizers, growth stimulants, and pest control products. All this ends up on our table. If the transfer of harmful substances does not occur directly, then through products animal origin- meat, milk. As a result, a variety of diseases of the digestive system, a decrease in the protective functions of the body, a deterioration in the absorption of nutrients, a toxic effect on the body and early aging.

The main problem - drinking water pollution negatively affecting human health. Areas where there is a persistent deterioration in the quality of drinking water tend to increase the infection of the gastrointestinal tract. Statistics say that the share of deaths due to viruses entering the body accounts for 30 to 50 million cases in Russia.

Today, man is constantly faced with ionizing radiation... Mining, air travel, nuclear explosions and the release of processed radioactive substances lead to a change in the radiation background of the external environment. The effect depends on the time, dose and type of radiation. How does radiation affect a person? The most common consequence is the development of infertility, radiation sickness, burns, cataracts - disorders of the organs of vision.

Environmental risks

One of the main indicators of quality public health is an environmental risk... But the main problem consists not in the degree of this indicator, but in the fact that when it is exposed to a person, the consequences manifest themselves only after 2-3 generations, gradually affecting the human body. Therefore, most people do not think about it, because they do not feel a direct threat.

Diseases mainly depend on age, profession and gender. V risk group people fall after reaching 50-60 years. The healthiest men are considered to be between the ages of 20 and 30, and girls under 20. Important role plays the area of ​​residence. In places with an increased environmental risk, the population is sick 30% more often.

Regularities of the action of environmental factors on organisms

Examples of environmental pollution

Output

As we can see, the impact of an unfavorable environment on human health can lead to disastrous consequences, up to and including death. Unfortunately, creating unfavorable for oneself and often destructive conditions of existence is inherent in one person. It's time for us to think about this global problem for our own well-being.

REMEMBER

Question 1. What is health?

Health - the state of any living organism, in which it as a whole and all its organs are capable of fully performing their functions; absence of ailment, illness. The sciences that study health include: dietetics, pharmacology, biology, epidemiology, psychology, and others.

QUESTIONS TO PARAGRAPH

Question 1. What does human health depend on?

Human health depends on lifestyle, food, adherence to work and rest, physical activity and psycho-emotional state.

Question 2. What is the effect of the natural and social environment on human health?

Health disorders are often caused by the ingestion of chemicals and compounds alien to its normal metabolism in volumes that exceed the protective capabilities of the immune system. The routes of entry of such substances into the human body are different. In some cases, they may depend little on a particular person, for example, the effect of artificial radiation. In other cases, some of the harmful substances, pathogenic bacteria or viruses enter the body due to non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards or by accident. These are poisonings caused by poor-quality products, poisonous mushrooms, and the consumption of poor-quality water, as well as neglect of hygiene requirements. All this can lead to serious infectious and venereal diseases (amoebiasis, hepatitis, chlamydia, AIDS, etc.).

Question 3. What are environmental pollutants?

Environmental pollutants are substances introduced into the environment or emerging in it, usually with no characteristic physical, chemical or biological properties, which lead to negative impacts on the environment.

Describe the rules of human behavior in dangerous and emergency situations.

The behavior of people in extreme situations is divided into two categories. Cases of rational, adaptive behavior of people are characterized by calmness and the implementation of measures of protection and mutual assistance, the organization of events that restore the disturbed order of life. This behavior is a consequence of the exact implementation of the instructions and orders of the leaders (leadership). It should be remembered that the implementation of orders and instructions prevents the spread of anxiety and anxiety, and at the same time does not impede the manifestation of initiative in the field of their protection.

Cases that are negative, pathological in nature, are characterized by a lack of adaptation to the situation, when people, with their irrational behavior and dangerous surrounding actions, increase the number of victims and disorganize public order. In this case, there is either a manifestation of a state of general inhibition, when the mass of people becomes confused and lack of initiative, or, conversely, simply distraught. A particular case of severe anxiety is panic, when fear of danger takes possession of a person or a group of people. Panic usually manifests itself as a wild, erratic flight of people driven by fear. It can be accompanied by real fury, especially if there are obstacles on the way, overcoming which usually ends big amount human casualties.

THINK!

What is the main cause of environmental degradation, acutely affecting human health?

The influence of the environment on human health is quite significant. Many diseases arise from air pollution, poor drinking water, and the consumption of chemically processed food. Health is 50% dependent on lifestyle, 20% is influenced by the environment and the development of technology, 20% is affected by bad heredity, and only 10% depends on the level of health care.

Nowadays, a huge amount of pollutants enter the environment from industrial sources, be it factory pipes, industrial waste discharged into rivers, or huge landfills. Industrial toxic wastes enter the atmosphere and return to the surface of the earth with rain and dust, gradually accumulating in the soil. Great amount substances hazardous to health: arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, zinc, chromium, nickel, copper, cobalt with groundwater enter the sources of drinking water supply. Together with water, these elements enter our body, slowly poisoning it and provoking serious diseases such as cancer, asthma, and various types of allergies.

The concept of "health". Health criteria. The health of the population is one of the most important criteria for assessing the well-being of society. The increasing pollution of the environment is associated with the development of industry and energy. The state of health of the population is a generalized integral indicator of the quality of the environment and its impact on human life.

According to the WHO charter, health is understood as a state of complete physical, spiritual and social well-being, and not just the absence of disease as such or physical defects, as it is still widespread in the public mind. However, this definition cannot be used to assess health at the population (social) and individual levels. According to WHO, in health statistics, health at the individual level is understood as the absence of identified disorders and diseases. Public health is characterized by a system of statistical medical and demographic indicators, indicators of morbidity, disability, physical development and mental health of the population.

In biomedical research, indicators of physical development are used to assess health. The functions of the body are assessed in terms of physical and mental performance, and adaptive reserves - in terms of biochemical, hormonal and immunological status.

The amount of health loss is expressed in terms of morbidity and disability, reflects disorders in the structures and functions of the body, changes in its adaptive capabilities.

All criteria must be assessed over time. An important criterion for assessing the health of the population should be considered health index, i.e., the proportion of those who were not ill at the time of the study (for example, during the year).

In sanitary statistics, the indicator is used as a criterion for health status, especially at the population level soreness or morbidity... This indicator reflects the prevalence of diseases and is determined by the ratio of the number of diseases per year, multiplied by 1,000 and divided by the average population. In general, the morbidity indicator is a collective designation of negative health indicators.

The human body reacts in the same way to a variety of influences. Changes similar in severity can be caused in one case by the action of harmful substances, in another by excessive physical or mental stress, in the third case, a deficit of motor activity with increased neuro-emotional stress can be a trigger mechanism.

Moreover, factors can have an isolated, combined, complex or cumulative effect on the body.

Isolated action harmful substances are rare, usually a person is exposed to the cumulative or combined influence of negative factors.

Under the combined action understand the simultaneous or sequential action on the body of factors of the same nature, more often a number of chemicals, with the same route of entry (for example, with air, water or food).

Complex action manifests itself when negative factors of a different nature (physical, chemical) enter the body simultaneously in various ways (for example, through the respiratory system and skin).

Cumulative action observed with the simultaneous or sequential action on the human body of factors of different nature (physical, chemical, biological).

Finally, it must be remembered that in the development of a pathological process in the body, various environmental pollution can play a role risk factors, that is, factors that are not the direct cause of a particular disease, but which increase the likelihood of its occurrence.

The peculiarities of the impact of environmental factors lead to significant changes in the health indicators of the population, which consist in the fact that new patterns are observed in the prevalence and nature of human pathology, otherwise demographic processes proceed. V general view these changes can be expressed in the acceleration of the rate of dynamics of indicators characterizing health; manifestation of a new non-epidemiological type of pathology; characteristic demographic changes; the occurrence of previously rare diseases; the growth of infectious diseases; the formation of multiple pathologies.

The approximate contribution of various factors to the health of the population is assessed in four positions: lifestyle, human genetics (biology), environment and health care. According to the materials of the World Health Organization, 50% of the total impact on the health of the population is attributed to lifestyle, 20% is attributed to the environment and heredity (genetic factors) and 10% to the quality of health care. It should be noted that these data are, firstly, indicative, and secondly, their influence is interrelated. The environment (air, water, soil pollution; abrupt change in atmospheric phenomena; increased cosmic, magnetic and other radiation, etc.) can affect other components. Thus, its effect on health increases significantly, but manifests itself indirectly.

Environmental diseases. The technogenic urban environment has a profound impact on the main social quality a person - his health in the broad sense of the word. Factors such as pollution of the atmosphere and water from industrial and transport emissions, electromagnetic fields, vibration and noise, chemicalization of everyday life, as well as streams of excessive information, an excessive number of social problems, lack of time, physical inactivity, emotional overload, nutritional deficiencies, bad habits, in to one degree or another and in various combinations, they become somatotropic and psychotropic factors in the etiology of prenosological conditions, and then diseases.

High concentrations of pollutants in various components of the environment have led to the emergence of the so-called “ environmental diseases», Including chemical asthma; Kirishi syndrome (severe allergy associated with emissions from the production of protein-vitamin concentrates); ticker syndrome, which develops in children in the areas of oil refineries; general immune depression in case of intoxication with heavy metals, dioxides, etc .; Yushko's disease associated with the effect of polychlorinated biphenyls on the child's body; in the Urals, a disease appeared that was called "potato disease" (a symptom of a "squelching foot"); in the Altai Territory, a disease was discovered, which was called "yellow children".

The main indicators of environmental risk include the following environmental pathologies: indicator pathology characterized by a high degree of dependence on environmental pollution ( occupational diseases, high rates of cancer, perinatal mortality, congenital pathology, genetic defects, allergies, toxicological lesions); environmentally dependent pathology, characterized by an average degree of dependence on environmental pollution (increased overall infant mortality, secondary immunodeficiencies, exacerbation of major diseases due to deterioration of the meteorological situation); ecologically conditioned pathology, characterized by a moderate degree of dependence on environmental pollution (higher morbidity with temporary loss of working capacity, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia in adults and children).

The environmental situation in our country remains extremely alarming and is accompanied by a deterioration in the basic indicators of public health, including the health of young children, an increase in mortality and a decrease in life expectancy. Suffice it to say that at present more than 100 large cities and regions of the country, including the Krasnoyarsk Territory, are characterized by an unfavorable environmental situation for human health.

Nowadays, in the conditions of an unstable economic situation, health is also becoming the main economic force. A sick person concentrates only on the problems of his body and absolutely loses interest in the world around him, cannot work and earn money normally. A very difficult demographic situation has developed in our country, which is close to critical: infant mortality has increased (3 times higher than in Europe); decreased life expectancy, including for men, to 65–67 years, which is 15 years less than in Europe.

An even more difficult situation is observed in our region. Thus, according to federal criteria for assessing birth rates, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory the indicator is at a low level (from 10.0 to 14.9 per 1,000 population). Infant mortality in the region is higher than the average for Russia. The total fertility rate does not exceed 1.33 (1.24 in the city and 1.79 in the countryside). Life expectancy at birth in the region (63.0 years) is lower than the average for Russia (65.1 years). The life expectancy of men in the region is less than that of women by 13.1 years due to the high mortality rate of men of working age. The decline in the birth rate and the high mortality rate of the working-age population influenced the current age composition of the population in the region. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a regressive type of population has developed, when the proportion of people over 50 years old (27%) exceeds the proportion of people aged 0-14 years old (17%). In 2005, the total morbidity in the adult population of the region was 1,274.1 cases per 1,000 population, which is 22.8 percent higher than the 2001 level. The incidence has also increased. This indicator was 553.4 cases per 1,000 people and exceeded the 2001 level by 16.8 percent.

Technogenic factors of human impact. The main factors of a technogenic nature that have a negative impact on health are chemical and physical pollution of the environment.

Chemical pollution of the environment and human health. Human society is constantly exposed to the explicit, and most often latent effects of a variety of potentially harmful factors, including numerous chemicals. The threat to human health and well-being associated with such adverse impacts is a growing concern today, which heightens the responsibility for disseminating information about the true scale and levels of environmental hazards.

When considering the negative impact that harmful chemicals can cause to humans, one should distinguish between substances that cause direct toxic effects on the human body (acute, chronic toxicity, etc.), as well as indirect effects on living organisms associated with humans through trophic or other pathways.

Among toxicants, compounds with acute toxicity are rarely found, that is, they cause sharp injuries (poisoning) of the body, up to fatal ones, after a single high dose has entered the body. Such situations usually arise during emergency or other rapidly proceeding critical situations, which, according to the geographic situation, are classified as contaminated zones.

More often, one has to deal with the so-called chronic toxic effect, which manifests itself gradually, with prolonged exposure to the body of small doses of toxicants with a cumulative effect. The cumulative effect is insidious, since after a latent period of imperceptible accumulation of a toxic dose, irreversible damage can occur. Toxicants with a cumulative toxic effect include heavy metal compounds (lead, mercury, cadmium, etc.), arsenic, fluorine compounds, halogenated hydrocarbons (polychlorinated biphenyls, DDT, polychlorodibenzodioxins, etc.). If, in the process of accumulation, the total dose is lower than the damaging one, then the toxic effects will be weakly expressed or will manifest themselves with nonspecific symptoms.

Chronic poisoning occurs quite often, but they are rarely recorded. A statistically significant dependence on atmospheric air pollution by chemical substances has been established for diseases of bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, as well as for acute respiratory diseases. Air pollution affects the body's resistance, which is manifested in the growth of infectious diseases. To the greatest extent, air pollution affects health indicators in urbanized centers, in particular in cities with developed metallurgical, processing and coal industries. The territory of such cities is affected by both nonspecific pollutants (dust, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, soot, nitrogen dioxide) and specific (fluorine, phenol, metals, etc.). In the total volume of atmospheric air pollution, nonspecific pollutants account for over 95%.

According to a sample survey of 33 Russian cities in cities with a high level of pollution, the average number of respiratory diseases increases by 41%, cardiovascular diseases - by 132%, skin diseases by 176% and the number of malignant neoplasms - by 35%. Numerous studies carried out in last years, indicate that children living in areas with a high level of air pollution have a low level of physical development, which is often assessed as disharmonious. The observed lag in the level of biological development from the passport age indicates a very unfavorable effect of air pollution on the health of the younger generation.

Compared to other sources of chemical pollution (food, drinking water, soil), atmospheric air poses a particular danger, since there is no chemical barrier in its path. Atmospheric pollution primarily affects the body's resistance, the result of a decrease in which is an increased morbidity, as well as other physiological changes in the body.

By the nature of the impact on the human body, chemical substances (harmful and hazardous) are divided into: general toxic causing poisoning of the whole organism (mercury, carbon monoxide, toluene, aniline); sensitizing acting as allergens (aldehydes, solvents and varnishes based on nitro compounds); neuro- and psychotropic acting on the nervous system (nicotine); mutagenic leading to a change in hereditary information in the reproductive and somatic cells (lead, radioactive substances, formaldehyde, DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)); carcinogenic that cause cancer (benzidine, aromatic hydrocarbons, amino compounds, asbestos, DDT); fibrogens, causing benign tumors (titanium dioxide, food colors, xenobiotics); teratogens that, when exposed to the body (embryo, growing body), cause deformities and other developmental anomalies (nicotine, alcohol-containing products, drugs, thalidomide, antibiotics, etc.); embryotoxins, poisonous to the embryos and intoxicating them (DDT, zinc salts, copper, a number of drugs); substances that affect reproductive (reproduction of offspring) function (benzene, lead, manganese, nicotine).

The mechanisms of action of chemical pollutants on the body are also different. They emit irritating substances that affect the mucous membrane, nerve endings (hydrogen sulfide, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, ammonia, chlorine, vapors of acids and alkalis); substances that change the ratio of oxidative and reduction reactions in the body (ozone, ionizing radiation, dioxins); substances that irreversibly bind to organic or inorganic compounds of the body (heavy metals, arsenic, nicotine, selenium); fat-soluble substances that disrupt the function of biological membranes (benzene, turpentine, dichloroethane, acetone, etc.); substituting substances chemical elements or compounds in the cell (strontium, cesium, beryllium, etc.).

In this case, the same substance or factor can affect several organs and tissues.

Physical pollution of the environment and human health. The main physical factors of the environment that have a negative impact on human health include acoustic vibrations, vibration, electromagnetic radiation, electric current .

Acoustic vibrations include noise, infrasound, ultrasound and their effects on humans.

The physical concept of acoustic vibrations covers both audible and inaudible vibrations of elastic media. Acoustic vibrations in the range of 16–20 kHz, perceived by a person with normal hearing, are called sound vibrations. Acoustic vibrations with a frequency of less than 16 Hz are called infrasonic, above 20 kHz - ultrasonic. Spreading in space, sound vibrations create an acoustic field. Acoustic vibrations are audible and inaudible vibrations of elastic media.

Noise is a disorderly combination of sounds of different frequency and intensity (strength), arising from mechanical vibrations in environments. From a physiological point of view, noise is any sound that is perceived unfavorably.

The main sources of noise include transport, primarily automobile, aviation and railway, as well as various industrial and agricultural enterprises. Sources of noise in production: machine tools, presses, in-plant transport, ventilation systems, electrified tools, etc.

Noise with a sound pressure level of up to 30–35 dB is familiar to a person and does not bother him. An increase in this level to 40–70 dB under environmental conditions creates a significant load on the nervous system, causing a deterioration in well-being, and, with prolonged exposure, can cause neuroses. Exposure to noise levels in excess of 75 dB can cause hearing loss. Under the action of high noise levels (more than 140 dB), rupture of the eardrums, contusion, and even higher (more than 160 dB) and death are possible.

In most large industrial cities, noise pollution is significantly exceeding the permissible standards. For example, in cities such as Yekaterinburg and Krasnoyarsk, sound levels on city highways are 73–95 dB, in residential buildings located on major highways, noise levels reach 62–77 dB, that is, in 1.5–2 times the maximum permissible noise level (40-50 dB).

Biologically, noise is a noticeable stress factor for humans, capable of causing a breakdown in adaptive responses. Acoustic stress can lead to various manifestations: a change in the rate of respiration and pulse, dysregulation of the central nervous system and metabolism, the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, as well as the occurrence of occupational diseases. The degree of noise pathology depends on the intensity and duration of exposure and, which is very important, on the individual sensitivity of the organism to an acoustic stimulus. Long-term exposure to noise causes changes in physiological reactions, sleep disturbances, mental and somatic health, performance and auditory perception. Individual sensitivity of a person to noise is 4–17%. It is believed that increased sensitivity to noise pollution occurs in 30% of people, 60% have normal sensitivity and only 10% are insensitive to noise. Women and children are especially sensitive to noise. High individual sensitivity can be one of the reasons for increased fatigue and the development of various neuroses.

Infrasonic vibrations- these are invisible and inaudible waves that cause a feeling of deep depression in a person. Sources of infrasound in industrial plants are fans, compressor units, all slowly rotating machines and mechanisms. The most powerful sources of infrasound are jet engines. Under normal conditions of an urban and industrial environment, the levels of infrasound are low, but even a weak infrasound from urban transport enters the general noise background of the city and serves as one of the reasons for the nervous fatigue of residents.

Infrasound - vibrations with a frequency below 20 Hz. The overwhelming majority of modern people do not hear acoustic vibrations with a frequency below 40 Hz. The maximum levels of low-frequency acoustic vibrations from industrial and transport sources reach 100-110 dB. At a level of 110 to 150 dB or more, it can cause unpleasant subjective sensations in people and numerous reactive changes, which include changes in the central nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and the vestibular analyzer.

Infrasound is harmful to humans in all cases - weak infrasound acts on the inner ear and causes symptoms of motion sickness, strong - causes damage to internal organs due to their strong vibration. Medium-strength infrasound can cause blindness. Infrasound can "shift" the tuning frequencies of internal organs, instill in a person a feeling of melancholy, panic, a feeling of coldness, anxiety, trembling in the spine. Getting into resonance with human biorhythms, infrasound of especially high intensity can cause instant death.

Ultrasound. Powerful ultrasonic vibrations of low frequency and high intensity are used in production for technological purposes: parts cleaning, welding, drilling, metal soldering. Weaker ultrasonic vibrations are used in diagnostics and research purposes.

In the field of ultrasonic vibrations in living tissues, ultrasound has a mechanical, thermal, physicochemical effect (micromassage of cells and tissues). At the same time, metabolic processes are activated, the immune properties of the body increase. Ultrasound has a pronounced analgesic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and general tonic effect, stimulates blood and lymph circulation, accelerates regenerative processes, and improves tissue trophism.

Ultrasound has a mainly local effect on the body, since it is transmitted by direct contact with a source of ultrasonic vibrations. Ultrasonic vibrations generated by low-frequency industrial equipment have an adverse effect on the human body. Long-term systematic exposure to airborne ultrasound causes changes in the nervous, cardiovascular and endocrine systems, auditory and vestibular analyzers. The most characteristic is the presence of vegetative-vascular dystonia and asthenic syndrome. The severity of changes in the human body depends on the intensity and duration of exposure to ultrasound and is amplified in the presence of high-frequency noise in the spectrum, while a pronounced hearing loss is added. In the case of continued contact with ultrasound, these disorders become more persistent. Under the action of local ultrasound, the phenomena of vegetative polyneuritis of the hands (less often of the legs) of varying severity occur, up to the development of paresis of the hands and forearms, vegetative-vascular dysfunction. Ultrasonic vibrations, penetrating the body, can cause inflammation, hemorrhage, necrosis (death of cells and tissues) in tissues.

The nature of changes in the body depends on the dose of ultrasound exposure. Small doses - sound level 80–90 dB - give a stimulating effect - micromassage, acceleration of metabolic processes. Large doses - a sound level of 120 dB or more - have a striking effect.

Vibration is a complex oscillatory process with a wide frequency range that occurs in elastic bodies or bodies as a result of the transfer of vibrational energy from some mechanical source. In cities, the sources of vibration are primarily transport, as well as some industries.

Vibration is one of the factors with high biological activity. The severity of the body's responses is mainly determined by the force of mechanical action on it and the biomechanical properties of the human body. The effect of vibration depends on the frequency and amplitude of vibration, duration of exposure, place of application, etc.

The impact of vibration on a person is classified: according to the method of transmitting vibrations to a person (general vibration is transmitted through the supporting surfaces to the body of a sitting or standing person; local - through the hands); in the direction of action (vertical, horizontal from the right shoulder to the left, from the back to the chest); by time characteristic (constant, non-constant).

The power of the oscillatory process in the contact zone and the time of this contact are the main parameters that determine the development of human vibration pathologies. Currently, vibration pathology is in second place (after dust) among occupational diseases.

There are three types of vibration pathology from the effects of general, local and jerky vibrations. When general vibrations affect the body, the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, as well as analyzers: vestibular, visual, tactile, suffer in the first place. General low-frequency vibration affects metabolic processes, manifested by changes in carbohydrate, protein, enzymatic, vitamin and cholesterol metabolism, and blood biochemical parameters. Local vibration causes spasms of the vessels of the hand, forearms, disrupting the supply of blood to the extremities, deforms and reduces the mobility of the joints. A jerky vibration is especially dangerous, causing microtrauma of various tissues with subsequent reactive changes. Vibro-disease can develop in 8-15 years.

Persons exposed to environmental vibrations are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular and nervous diseases and usually complain of poor health.

Electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic fields(EMF) in the environment are created by power lines, electrical equipment, electrical appliances - all technical systems that generate, transmit and use electromagnetic energy. Long-term exposure of a person to EMF of industrial frequency (50 Hz) causes headaches, lethargy, memory loss, sleep disturbance, increased irritability, pain in the heart, etc. The effect on the human body of EMF is determined by the frequency of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), its intensity, duration, individual characteristics of the organism. Most of the spectrum of non-ionizing EMR is made up of radio waves, a smaller part is oscillations in the optical range: infrared radiation (IR), visible ultraviolet radiation (UV).

Electromagnetic radiations of radio frequencies are widely used in communications, television and radio broadcasting, medicine, radar, flaw detection, etc.

The impact of EMP radio frequencies on the body is determined by the energy flux density, the radiation frequency, the duration of exposure, the size of the irradiated surface, the individual characteristics of the organism, etc. The consequence of the absorption of EMP energy by the human body is an increase in the temperature of the organs. Exposure to EMR is especially harmful to the eyes and skin. So, eye irradiation can lead to clouding of the lens (cataract), possible burns to the cornea. With prolonged exposure to EMR, disorders in the central nervous system, cardiovascular and endocrine systems are possible; changes in metabolism and blood composition; hair loss, brittle nails, weight loss may occur. In case of emergency, exposure to EMR is accompanied by cardiovascular disorders with fainting, increased heart rate and decreased blood pressure.

The impact of electromagnetic radiation in the optical range: infrared, visible (light), ultraviolet radiation on a person does not fundamentally differ. When exposed to infrared radiation (with chronic irradiation), a sharp expansion of capillaries occurs, an increase in skin pigmentation - a red complexion. In case of acute injury, skin burns and eye damage are possible. UV radiation is a vital factor that has a beneficial stimulating effect on the body. Optimal doses of UVR stimulate the activity of the heart and metabolism. The most vulnerable to UVR is the eye. The effect on the skin is expressed in inflammation with redness, blistering, fever, chills, headache.

Laser radiation (LI) is a special type of EMR. The degree of the effect of LI on the body depends on the intensity of the radiation, the time of exposure. Irradiation of the eye easily damages the cornea and lens (heating of the lens leads to the formation of cataracts). Skin damage can range from redness to charring.

Electric field industrial frequency is a biologically active environmental factor. With the systematic effect of an electric field, the intensity of which exceeds the maximum permissible level, a person may experience changes in the functional state of the nervous, cardiovascular and endocrine systems, as well as some metabolic processes, the immunological reactivity of the body and its reproductive function.

The effect of electric current on living tissue is versatile. Passing through the human body, electric current produces thermal, electrolytic, mechanical and biological effects. The thermal effect is manifested by burns of individual parts of the body, heating to a high temperature of organs located in the path of the current. The electrolytic effect is expressed in a violation of the physicochemical composition and properties of various body fluids (blood, lymph). The mechanical action of the current leads to rupture of body tissues as a result of the electrodynamic effect. The biological effect is manifested by convulsive muscle contraction, as well as a violation of internal biological processes. From electric shock, a person receives electrical injuries (local and general). General electrical shock disorders - convulsions, respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest. Local injuries include: burns, metallization of the skin (penetration of various metal particles into it when it melts), mechanical damage, electrical signs (compacted areas of gray or pale yellow, painless and pass quickly).

The outcome of an electric shock to a person depends on many factors: the strength of the current, the time it passes through the body, etc. The physical and mental state of a person also affects the body's resistance to the effects of electric current: ill health, fatigue, hunger, drunkenness, emotional excitement, leading to a decrease in resistance. An unfavorable climate (high temperature and humidity) increases the risk of electric shock.

A current is considered permissible at which a person can independently free himself from the electrical circuit.

Environmental factors and health of the population of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The state of health of the population of the Krasnoyarsk Territory over the past decade has caused justified concern not only for specialists, but also for state institutions and the general public. By the beginning of the XXI century. the indicators by which the state of health of the population is traditionally assessed (medical and demographic indicators, morbidity, disability, physical development) have sharply deteriorated. The demographic situation with which we have entered the new century poses a threat to national security. The problems of preserving the health of the population of the region urgently require the development of a strategy for the development of our region. The ongoing public health crisis is due not only to biological and environmental, but also to socio-economic factors.

In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the sources of air pollution are diverse, the composition of emissions is multicomponent, and this leads to a deterioration in the quality of the air environment in populated areas. Dynamics of emissions of pollutants into the air on the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory during 2005-2009. characterized by high chemical load (2,446.4 thousand tons / year). A significant share in the total volume of gross emissions of pollutants from all sources of anthropogenic air pollution in populated areas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory is made up of emissions from vehicles, and in some cities and regions they are decisive.

The level of air pollution according to the air pollution index in large industrial cities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in 2009 was characterized as "high" and "very high" and ranged from 7.2 in Kansk to 18.56 in Krasnoyarsk. The main substances that create "very high" and "high" levels of pollution are: in Krasnoyarsk - benz (a) pyrene, formaldehyde, suspended solids, nitrogen dioxide and oxide, in Minusinsk and Nazarovo - benz ( a) pyrene, formaldehyde; in Lesosibirsk - benzo (a) pyrene, formaldehyde, phenol, suspended solids; in Achinsk - formaldehyde, benz (a) pyrene, suspended solids; in the city of Kansk - benzo (a) pyrene, nitrogen dioxide; in Norilsk - copper and nickel oxides, sulfur dioxide, suspended solids.

A necessary element of the population's life support is drinking water; the state of people's health, the level of their sanitary and epidemiological well-being, and the degree of improvement of the housing stock depend on its quality, quantity and uninterrupted supply. Providing the population with safe drinking water is an urgent hygienic problem.

The population of certain territories of the Krasnoyarsk Territory uses drinking water, which is characterized by high levels of sanitary-chemical and microbial pollution. A high proportion of water samples that did not meet hygienic standards in terms of sanitary and chemical indicators were recorded in the water supply network: Tyukhtetsky (85.7%), Pirovsky (84.0%), Kozulsky (78.9%), Bolsheuluysky (68.9 %), Dzerzhinsky (46.7%), Nizhneingashsky (46.1%), Achinsky (42.6%), Karatuzsky (40.0%) districts.

Unfavorable territories in terms of microbiological indicators of drinking water quality are: Motyginsky (73.6% of samples do not meet hygienic standards); Evenk (47.5%); Idrinsky (29.3%); Ermakovsky (27.3%); Krasnoturansky (26.8%); Boguchansky (20.3%); Balakhtinsky (17.5%); Uzhursky (16.7%); Rybinsky (16.6%); Sayan (16.3%) regions.

The totality of environmental factors (natural, socio-economic, household, anthropogenic) can affect the entire population, its individual groups and each person both unidirectionally and in different directions. Therefore, the quality of the environment can be judged by such a complex criterion as the health of the population.

During 2005-2009. the incidence rate of the population of the Krasnoyarsk Territory as a whole with newly diagnosed diseases caused by the influence of environmental factors tends to increase in the class of diseases of the nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system, complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and malignant neoplasms. The dynamics of the growth in the incidence of diseases of the blood and hematopoietic organs, the endocrine system from 2005 to 2008 replaced in 2009 by a decrease in incidence rates.

In 2009, three outbreaks of enterovirus infection among the population of Achinsk were registered in the region; outbreaks of acute intestinal infections caused by opportunistic flora among the children of the Bolsheungutskaya secondary school of the Mansky region and among the shift workers at the SMP-2 CJSC STPS-Gazifikatsiya in the Turukhansk region.

The ranking of the territories of the Krasnoyarsk Territory by the average long-term incidence rate of the population (1992–2009), caused by the influence of environmental factors, showed that the incidence rate is significantly higher for malignant neoplasms in 17 territories of the Territory; in the class "Diseases of the nervous system" - at 16; "Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs" - at 15; "Diseases of the circulatory system" - at 16; "Diseases of the endocrine system" - in 6; "Diseases of the respiratory system" - at 11; "Complications of pregnancy and childbirth" - in 9 territories of the region.

Assessment and comparison of the health risk level of the population of urban districts and municipal districts of the Krasnoyarsk Territory based on the calculated integral indicator indicate that if in 2009 in 12 territories (4 cities - Krasnoyarsk, Norilsk, Divnogorsk, Lesosibirsk and 8 districts: Tyukhtetsky, Uzhursky , Shushensky, Sharypovsky, Turukhansky, Dzerzhinsky, Taseevsky, Berezovsky), and this is 51.7% of the population of the region (1 492 589 people), there was an "increased" degree of health risk, then in 2010, according to forecast data, the population is decreasing both with "minimal" and "increased" degree of health risk. At the same time, an increase in the proportion of residents of the region falling into the group with a "moderate" degree of risk is expected, and the emergence of municipalities with "high" (Birilyussky, Tyukhtetsky, Uzhursky, Shushensky districts) levels of health risk in the territory of the region.

The negative impact on human health of an unfavorable environmental situation, measures to improve which should be an integral part of the Territorial Development Programs, can be mitigated or completely neutralized by good socio-ecological conditions.

Previous

INTRODUCTION 2

Chapter 1. ECOLOGY, ITS CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES 3

1.1. Physical pollution of the environment 5

1.2. Nuclear pollution. 5

1.3. Industrial production problem 6

1.4. Air Basin Condition 7

1.5. Environmental impacts on urban health 9

Chapter 2. ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH 11

2.1. Global ecological problems of our time. eleven

2.2. The influence of the atmosphere on the human body. 15

2.3. Chemical pollution of the environment and human health. 19

2.4. Biological pollution and human diseases 21

2.5. Factors affecting human health and life expectancy. 23

CONCLUSION 28

REFERENCES 30

INTRODUCTION

Currently, human economic activity is increasingly becoming the main source of pollution of the biosphere. Gaseous, liquid and solid industrial wastes enter the natural environment in increasing quantities. Various chemicals in waste, getting into soil, air or water, pass along ecological links from one chain to another, eventually getting into the human body.

Chapter 1... ECOLOGY, ITS CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES

Ecology- a science that studies the conditions of existence of living organisms in relation to the environment. This term was proposed in 1866 by the German zoologist Ernest Haeckel (1834-1919), who believed that ecology should be understood as “the sum of knowledge related to the economics of nature: the study of the entire set of relationships between an animal and its environment, both organic and inorganic. , and above all his friendly or hostile relations with those animals and plants with which he directly or indirectly comes into contact. "

Medical ecology is a science that studies the nature of the interaction between humans and the environment, establishes causal relationships between the quality of the environment and the state of health, and develops methods for diagnosing and preventing the adverse effects of environmental factors on humans.

An environmental problem arose with the advent of man on Earth. The factor of human economic activity has wedged into the natural and balanced circulation of matter in the biosphere, which has steadily introduced an imbalance in the environment as it develops. The deep shocks associated with the genocide, first in relation to the animal world and then to the plant world, and finally, crushing pressure on land, water resources and the atmosphere gave rise to that tangle of contradictions called the problem of human survival.

Ecology- one of the biological sciences that studies living systems in their interaction with the environment.

Modern ecology is not limited only to the framework of a biological discipline, which treats the relationship mainly between animals and plants, it turns into an interdisciplinary science that studies the most complex problems of human interaction with the environment. The relevance and versatility of this problem, caused by the aggravation of the ecological situation on a global scale, led to the "greening" of many natural, technical and humanitarian sciences.

Strategic challenge ecology is considered to be the development of the theory of interaction between nature and society based on a new view that considers human society as an integral part of the biosphere.

Environmental Safety- the state of protection of society and the state, man and the biosphere from threats arising from anthropogenic and natural (spontaneous) impacts on the environment.

Environmental protection- a system of state and public measures of influence aimed at ensuring harmonious interaction of the "society - nature" system on the basis of:

conservation and reproduction of natural resources;

their rational and balanced use;

improving the quality of the vital environment around a person by restoring the functions of self-organization of natural systems, which were lost under the pressure of human economic activity.

Therefore, efforts aimed at the balanced development of mankind should be subordinated to three main goals:

1) the dissemination of knowledge about the direction in the evolution of the biosphere. Finding the ways necessary to curb the growth of population on the planet;

2) creation of conditions for sufficiently rapid economic growth and fair distribution of incomes to meet the basic needs of both our and future generations within the framework of the preservation of the biosphere;

3) development of such a strategy for environmental management and greening the economy so that the huge potential human impact on the environment remains within acceptable limits.

1.1. Physical pollution of the environment

Physical pollution is associated with a change in the physical, temperature-energy, wave and radiation parameters of the external environment.

Thermal pollution is determined by the influence of thermal fields on the air and water environment. The negative impact of heat on the air is revealed by increasing thermal temperature gradients over urban and rural agglomerations in comparison with natural natural ecosystems, which entails a change in energy processes in the atmosphere and hydrosphere in rural and especially urban areas. So, the thermal effect is manifested in the deterioration of the earth's surface regime (thermokarst, solifluction, ice, etc.) and the living conditions of people. Sources of thermal pollution within urban areas are underground gas pipelines of industrial enterprises (140-160 ° C), heating mains (50-150 ° C), prefabricated collectors and communications (35-45 ° C), etc.

A negative effect on the hydrosphere is indicated by an increase in water temperature, leading to a decrease in oxygen solubility, which reduces the activity of the entire biocenosis of aquatic systems, to a decrease in the processes of natural mineralization of organic matter in aquatic systems, provokes an increase in the activity of blue-green algae, which further reduces the amount of oxygen in the aquatic environment ... Some living organisms are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations.

1.2. Nuclear pollution.

Exposure to radiation has affected the entire long history of the formation of life on Earth. It has been established that radioactivity of any intensity affects the heredity of living organisms. That is, there is no lower safe radiation limit for living systems.

Radioactive radiation penetrates living tissues like tiny bullets. It does not leave external traces and is not felt by itself, but it is capable of destroying molecules in the composition of cells. In high doses, radiation can harm them so much that they stop dividing. Therefore, it is used in radiotherapy to destroy cancerous tumors. However, if the whole body is strongly irradiated, cell division will be disrupted in almost all tissues, which means that normal renewal of blood, skin, etc. will become impossible. The so-called radiation sickness will occur, which can lead to death within a few days or months after irradiation. And very strong radiation can completely destroy cells and cause instant death.

Radiation is dangerous even in low doses, as it can damage DNA molecules, that is, the genetic material of the body. Cell division with this altered (mutant) DNA sometimes becomes uncontrolled and leads to the development of malignant tumors. Irradiation of the egg or sperm is fraught with birth defects in the offspring. All these influences may not manifest themselves outwardly for many years. The main danger of nuclear installations lies in the fact that low doses of radiation, imperceptibly affecting people, increase the possibility of cancer and the birth of inferior offspring.

Distinguish between somatic and genetic effects of radiation.

Somatic- caused by the direct effect of radiation on a living organism, ranging from a significant decrease in the average survival rate and ending with instant death.

Genetic- the effects of radiation affect the development and formation of germ cells. This is a mutagenic effect of radiation. The appearance of a mutation is due to a change in chromosomes and a chemical violation of the genetic code due to the appearance of free radicals in the nucleus of the germ cell, which, reacting with nitrogenous bases, change the structure of the genetic code. This is the specificity of the effect of radiation on biological objects. A dose of radiation of any intensity is genetically dangerous.

1.3. Industrial production problem

All industrial production can be divided into three categories. The first included industries that did not have a harmful effect on human health, for example, clothing industries, etc. The second included relatively harmful industries, for example, metalworking. They were allowed to be built on the outskirts of cities, at some distance from them. The third included production, the placement of which near cities was strictly prohibited. but fast growth urban development has reduced the effectiveness of this legislation to nothing in less than half a century. Large industrial enterprises, which were built at first far from the city, were quickly absorbed by urban development. Moreover, the largest mass of the urban population accumulated near large enterprises, where the highest pollution was observed. A similar ecological state was typical for almost all large industrialized cities.

Our country has already taken decisive measures to combat the environmental consequences of unplanned urban development. The state of the environment in the cities of our country has noticeably improved, but the environmental problems of cities remained quite acute. To the traditional sources of environmental pollution, new ones have been added, the role of which is constantly increasing. This primarily applied to road transport, which is currently the main source of air pollution in cities, as well as the main source of noise.

In turn, the cities, being large transport hubs, have become, as it were, the center of net pollution of the natural environment along the transport routes leading to it.

1.4. Air Basin Condition

Most large cities are characterized by extremely strong and intense air pollution. It is widely believed that as the size of a city increases, so does the concentration of various pollutants in its atmosphere, however, in reality. Along with low levels of pollution concentration in peripheral regions, it sharply increases in the zones of large industrial enterprises and, especially in the central regions.In the latter, despite the absence of large industrial enterprises, as a rule, there are always increased concentrations of atmospheric pollutants. This is caused both by the fact that there is heavy traffic in these areas, and by the fact that in the central regions the atmospheric air is usually several degrees higher than in the peripheral ones - this leads to the appearance of ascending air currents over the centers of cities, sucking in polluted air from industrial areas located on the near periphery. When analyzing the processes of air pollution in cities, the difference between the pollution produced by stationary and mobile sources is very significant. As a rule, with an increase in the size of a city, the share of mobile sources of pollution (mainly vehicles), in general, air pollution increases, reaching 60 and even 70%.

At present, great hopes in the field of air protection are associated with the maximum gasification of the industry and the fuel and energy complex, but the effect of gasification should not be exaggerated. In contrast to stationary sources, air pollution by road transport occurs at a low altitude and almost always has a local character. Thus, the concentration of pollution produced by road transport quickly decreases with distance from the transport highway, and in the presence of sufficiently high barriers (for example, in closed courtyards of houses), they can decrease by more than 10 times.

In general, emissions from vehicles are significantly more toxic than emissions from stationary sources. Along with carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and soot (in diesel cars), a running car emits more than 200 substances and compounds with toxic effects into the environment. Among them, it is necessary to highlight the compounds of heavy metals, some hydrocarbons, especially benzopyrene, which has a pronounced carcinogenic effect. There is no doubt that in the near future, urban air pollution by road transport will pose the greatest danger. This is mainly due to the fact that currently there are no fundamental solutions to this problem, although there is no shortage of individual technical projects and recommendations.

Air pollution is the most serious environmental problem of a modern city, it causes significant damage to the health of citizens, material and technical objects located in the city (buildings, facilities, structures, industrial and transport equipment, communications, industrial products, raw materials and semi-finished products) and green spaces ...

Thus, air pollution is becoming a real brake on scientific and technological progress in cities, the effect of which will constantly intensify as the requirements for clean technology, the increase in the accuracy of industrial equipment and the spread of micro miniaturization.

1.5. Environmental impacts on urban health

To a large extent, air pollution affects the health of the urban population. This is evidenced, in particular, by significant differences in the incidence of the population in certain areas of the same city. In one area a large number of industrial enterprises are located near kindergartens, in another, children's institutions are far from the main trunk routes and sources of air pollution with harmful substances. The morbidity analysis showed that the general acute morbidity in the first region was 1.5 times higher than in the second. The incidence of respiratory diseases in children of age groups (from one to 6 years old) in the first region was also 1.5 times higher than in the second region, and in the nervous system and sensory organs - 2-2.5 times more often.

Changes in the health of citizens is not only an indicator of the ecological state of the city, but also its most important socio-economic consequence, which should determine the leading directions for improving the quality of the environment. In this regard, it is very important to emphasize that the very health of city dwellers within the biological norm is a function of economic, social (including psychological) and environmental conditions.

In general, many factors affect the health of city dwellers, in particular the characteristic features of an urban lifestyle - physical inactivity, increased nervous stress, traffic fatigue and a number of others, but most of all - environmental pollution. This is evidenced by significant differences in the incidence of the population in different areas of the same city.

The most noticeable negative consequences of environmental pollution in a large city are manifested in the deterioration of the health of city dwellers in comparison with rural dwellers.

The need to maintain good health and high efficiency of the townspeople increases the requirements for the quality of the environment. First, the number of negatively acting factors increases (for example, harmful substances in the atmosphere and in water bodies). The need to comply with and take into account their joint impact on humans leads to a decrease in the maximum permissible values ​​of each of them. Secondly, the maximum permissible values ​​(MPE) of many negatively acting factors in the environment (harmful substances, ionizing radiation), being a function of our knowledge: are periodically revised towards tightening.

In addition to air pollution, many other urban environmental factors negatively affect human health.

Noise pollution in cities is almost always local in nature and is mainly caused by means of transport - urban, railroad and aviation. Already now, on the main highways of large cities, noise levels exceed 90 dB and tend to increase by 0.5 dB annually, which is the greatest threat to the environment in areas of busy transport highways. As shown by medical research, increased noise levels contribute to the development of neuropsychiatric diseases and hypertension. The fight against noise in the central districts of cities is hampered by the density of the existing buildings, which makes it impossible to build noise barriers, widen highways and planting trees that reduce noise levels on the roads. Thus, the most promising solutions to this problem are to reduce the noise of their own vehicles.

Chapter 2... ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH

2.1. Global ecological problems of our time.

Over the past millennia, civilization and technology have made a significant leap in their development. The appearance of human settlements has changed, the languages ​​of antiquity have sunk into oblivion, the very outward appearance of "Homo sapiens" has changed beyond recognition. But one thing in a person's life has remained unchanged: everything that civilization is able to collect in its barns, store it behind high fences of special bases, stuff it on the shelves of home cabinets and refrigerators - all this is taken from the environment. And the whole rhythm of human life, both in past eras and today, was determined by one thing - the possibility of access to certain natural resources.

Over the years of such coexistence with nature, the reserves of natural resources have significantly decreased. True, nature itself took care of providing a person, an eternal dependent, including an almost inexhaustible resource base.

Nature, like money, is never too much. It is not known what all the inhabitants of the planet think about this, but their influence on nature is felt almost everywhere.

The protection of soil from humans is one of the most important tasks of humans, since any harmful compounds in the soil sooner or later enter the human body.

At first, there is a constant leaching of contaminants into open water bodies and groundwater, which can be used by humans for drinking and other needs.

Secondly, these contaminants from soil moisture, groundwater and open water bodies enter the organisms of animals and plants that consume this water, and then through the food chains again enter the human body.

Thirdly, many compounds harmful to the human body have the ability to accumulate in tissues, and, first of all, in bones.

According to researchers' estimates, about 20-30 billion tons of solid waste enter the biosphere annually, of which 50-60% are organic compounds, and in the form of acidic agents of a gas or aerosol nature - about 1 billion tons. And all this is less than 6 billion people!

How do lithosphere pollutants get into the soil? Various soil contaminants, most of which are of anthropogenic nature, can be classified according to the source of these contaminants entering the soil.

Atmospheric precipitation . Many chemical compounds (gases - oxides of sulfur and nitrogen) that enter the atmosphere as a result of the operation of enterprises, then dissolve in droplets of atmospheric moisture and fall into the soil with precipitation.

Deposited in the form of dust and aerosols . In dry weather, solid and liquid compounds usually settle directly in the form of dust and aerosols.

With the direct absorption of gaseous compounds by the soil . In dry weather, gases can be directly absorbed by the soil, especially wet soil.

With plant litter . Various harmful compounds, in any state of aggregation, are absorbed by leaves through the stomata or deposited on the surface. Then, when the leaves fall off, all of these compounds enter the soil.

Soil pollution is difficult to classify; different sources give their division in different ways. Summarizing and highlighting the main thing, the following picture of soil pollution is observed:

garbage, emissions, dumps, sediment rocks;

heavy metals;

pesticides;

mycotoxins;

radioactive substances.

There are natural resources that humanity needs like air. But, perhaps, there is no such resource, except for the air itself, the absence of which would become an unsolvable problem for a person in less than a minute.

It is known that air pollution occurs mainly as a result of the work of industry, transport, etc., which together emit more than a billion solid and gaseous particles "into the wind" annually.

The main air pollutants today are carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide. But, of course, we must not forget about freons, or chlorofluorocarbons. It is them that most scientists consider the reason for the formation of the so-called ozone holes in the atmosphere. Freons are widely used in production and in everyday life as refrigerants, foaming agents, solvents, as well as in aerosol packages. Namely, with a decrease in the ozone content in the upper layers of the atmosphere, doctors associate an increase in the number of skin cancers.

It is known that atmospheric ozone is formed as a result of complex photochemical reactions under the influence of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Although its content is small, its significance for the biosphere is enormous. Ozone, absorbing ultraviolet radiation, protects all life on earth from death. Freons, on the other hand, getting into the atmosphere, under the influence of solar radiation decay into a number of compounds, of which chlorine oxide most intensively destroys ozone.

Graceful drops of rain - another gift from heaven - have always made a person happy. But in some parts of the world, rain has become a serious hazard. The complex and difficult to solve problem of acid rain has arisen, which was first raised at the international level by Sweden at the UN conference on the environment. Since then, it has become one of the main environmental problems of mankind.

Acid doji have a detrimental effect on the nature of water bodies, damage forest vegetation and agricultural crops, and finally, all these substances pose a certain danger to human life.

The third, no less important than the sky above your head and the earth under your feet, factor in the existence of civilization is the planet's water resources.

Humanity mainly uses fresh water for its needs. Their volume is slightly more than 2% of the hydrosphere, and the distribution of water resources around the globe is extremely uneven. In Europe and Asia, where 70% of the world's population lives, only 39% of river waters are concentrated. The total consumption of river water is increasing from year to year in all regions of the world. It is known, for example, that since the beginning of this century the consumption of fresh water has increased 6 times, and in the next few decades it will increase by at least 1.5 times.

The lack of water is aggravated by the deterioration of its quality. Water used in industry, agriculture and in everyday life is returned to reservoirs in the form of poorly treated or generally untreated wastewater.

Thus, the pollution of the hydrosphere occurs primarily as a result of the discharge of industrial, agricultural and domestic wastewater into rivers, lakes and seas. According to scientists' calculations, at the end of the twentieth century, it may take 25 thousand cubic kilometers to dilute this same wastewater. fresh water, or almost all the really available resources of such a runoff! It is easy to guess that it is precisely in this, and not in the growth of direct water intake, that is the main reason for the aggravation of the problem of fresh water.

Currently, many rivers are among the heavily polluted - the Rhine, Danube, Seine, Ohio, Volga, Dnieper, Dniester, etc. Pollution of the world ocean is growing. And here an essential role is played not only by sewage pollution, but also by the ingress of large quantities of oil products into the waters of the seas and oceans. In general, the most polluted inland seas are the Mediterranean, North, Baltic, Inland Japan, Javan, as well as the Biscay, Persian and Mexican gulfs.

In addition, a person transforms the waters of the hydrosphere through the construction of hydraulic structures, in particular, reservoirs. Large reservoirs and canals have a serious negative impact on the environment: they change the regime of groundwater in the coastal strip, affect soils and plant communities, after all, their water areas occupy large areas of fertile land.

Changing his world, a person, whether he wants it or not, significantly intervenes in the life of his neighbors on the planet. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, since 1600, 94 species of birds and 63 species of mammals have become extinct on Earth. In addition, rare insects decrease in number and disappear, which is associated both with the reaction to the use of various kinds of pesticides, and with the destruction of their native habitats.

The mechanism for the death of a species is much simpler than one might imagine. Zoologists realized this when they were able to analyze a large number of unsuccessful acclimatization of animals in lands, of course, suitable for imported species. It turned out that the delivery of small groups of animals ended in failure. It turned out that 2-3 pairs of animals in the absence of constant, albeit relatively rare contacts with their own kind, cannot settle in the territory. In most cases, their ability to reproduce is suppressed or they die from the so-called "stress", or stress disease. A similar situation arises with a large discharge of the natural population. It is not at all necessary to destroy every one of the animals in order to doom a species to extinction, to significantly reduce its number, to reduce or dissociate habitats, in which humanity, especially in recent centuries, has noticeably succeeded.

2.2. The influence of the atmosphere on the human body.

Our planet is surrounded by an air shell - an atmosphere that extends above the Earth 1500-2000 km upward, which is about 1/3 of the Earth's radius. However, this border is arbitrary, traces of atmospheric air were found at an altitude of 20,000 km.

The presence of the atmosphere is one of the necessary conditions for the existence of life on Earth. The atmosphere regulates the Earth's climate, daily temperature fluctuations on the planet (without it, they would have reached 200 o C). At present, the average temperature of the Earth's surface is 14 o C. The atmosphere transmits thermal radiation from the Sun and retains heat, clouds, rain, snow, and wind are formed there. It also plays the role of a carrier of moisture on Earth, is a medium for the propagation of sound (without air, silent silence would reign on the earth). The atmosphere serves as a source of oxygen breathing, perceives gaseous metabolic products, and influences heat exchange and other functions of living organisms. Oxygen and nitrogen are of primary importance for the vital activity of the organism, the content of which in the air is 21% and 78%, respectively.

Oxygen is necessary for the respiration of most living things (the exception is only a small number of anaerobic microorganisms). Nitrogen is part of the composition of proteins and nitrogenous compounds; the origin of life on earth is associated with it. Carbon dioxide is a source of carbon organic matter- the second most important component of these compounds.

A person inhales about 12-15 m 3 of oxygen per day, and releases about 580 liters of carbon dioxide. Therefore, atmospheric air is one of the main vital elements of our environment.

It should be noted that, far from pollution sources, its chemical composition is quite stable. However, as a result of human economic activity, centers of pronounced air pollution have appeared in those areas where large industrial centers are located. Here, in the atmosphere, the presence of various solid and gaseous substances is noted, which have an adverse effect on the living conditions and health of the population.

By now, a lot of scientific evidence has accumulated that atmospheric pollution, especially in large cities, has reached levels that are dangerous to human health. There are many known cases of illness and even death of residents of cities in industrial centers as a result of emissions of toxic substances from industrial enterprises and transport under certain meteorological conditions. In this regard, the literature often mentions catastrophic cases of human poisoning in the Meuse Valley (Belgium), in the city of Donor (USA), in London, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and a number of other large cities not only in Western Europe, but also in Japan, China. , Canada, Russia, etc.

Silica and free silicon contained in fly ash are the cause serious illness lung, which develops among workers of "dusty" professions, for example, among miners, workers of coke-chemical, coal, cement and a number of other enterprises. The lung tissue is replaced by connective tissue, and these areas cease to function. In children living near powerful power plants that are not equipped with dust collectors, changes in the lungs are found, similar to forms of silicosis. Excessive air pollution with smoke and soot lasting for several days can cause fatal poisoning in people.

Particularly detrimental to a person is atmospheric pollution in cases where meteorological conditions contribute to stagnation of air over the city.

The harmful substances contained in the atmosphere affect the human body in contact with the surface of the skin or mucous membranes. Along with the respiratory organs, pollutants affect the organs of sight and smell, and when acting on the lining of the larynx, they can cause spasms of the vocal cords. Inhaled solid and liquid particles with a size of 0.6-1.0 microns reach the alveoli and are absorbed in the blood, some accumulate in the lymph nodes.

Polluted air irritates most of the respiratory tract, causing bronchitis, emphysema, asthma. The irritants that cause these diseases include SO 2 and SO 3, nitrogenous vapors, HC l, HNO 3, H 2 SO 4, H 2 S, phosphorus and its compounds. Dust containing silicon oxides causes a serious lung disease called silicosis. Studies in the UK have shown a very close relationship between air pollution and mortality from bronchitis.

Street eye injuries caused by fly ash and other air pollutants in industrial centers account for 30-60% of all cases of eye diseases, which are very often accompanied by various complications, conjunctivitis.

Signs and consequences of the effects of air pollutants on the human body are manifested mainly in a deterioration in general health: headaches, nausea, a feeling of weakness appear, and the ability to work is reduced or lost. Certain pollutants cause specific symptoms of poisoning. For example, chronic poisoning phosphorus initially manifested by pain in the gastrointestinal tract and yellowing of the skin. These symptoms are accompanied by loss of appetite and a slowdown in metabolism. In the future, phosphorus poisoning leads to deformation of the bones, which become more and more fragile. The resistance of the body as a whole decreases.

CO. Colorless and odorless gas. Affects the nervous and cardiovascular system, causes suffocation. The primary symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning (the appearance of a headache) occur in a person after 2-3 hours of his stay in an atmosphere containing 200-220 mg / m3 of CO; at higher concentrations of CO, there is a feeling of a pulse in the temples, dizziness. CO toxicity increases in the presence of nitrogen in the air; in this case, the CO concentration in the air must be reduced by a factor of 1.5.

Nitrogen oxides. NO N 2 O 3 NO 5 N 2 O 4. The main emissions into the atmosphere are nitrogen dioxide NO 2, a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that irritates the respiratory system. Nitrogen oxides are especially dangerous in cities, where they interact with carbon in exhaust gases and form a photochemical fog - smog. Air poisoned by nitrogen oxides begins to act with a slight cough. With an increase in NO concentration, severe coughing, vomiting, and sometimes headache occurs. On contact with a moist mucosal surface, nitrogen oxides form the acids HNO 3 and HNO 2, which lead to pulmonary edema.

SO 2 is a colorless gas with a pungent odor, already in low concentrations (20-30 mg / m3) creates an unpleasant taste in the mouth, irritates the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract. Inhalation of SO 2 causes painful phenomena in the lungs and respiratory tract, sometimes pulmonary edema, pharyngeal edema and respiratory paralysis occur. The action of carbon disulfide is accompanied by severe nervous disorders, mental impairment.

Hydrocarbons (gasoline vapors, methane, etc.) have a narcotic effect, in small concentrations it causes headaches, dizziness, etc. So when inhaling gasoline vapors at a concentration of 600 mg / m 3 for 8 hours, headaches, coughing, and discomfort in the throat occur.

Aldehydes. With prolonged exposure to humans, aldehydes cause irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract, and with an increase in concentration, headache, weakness, loss of appetite, and insomnia are noted.

Lead compounds. Approximately 50% of lead compounds enter the body through the respiratory system. Under the influence of lead, the synthesis of hemoglobin is disrupted, there is a disease of the respiratory tract, genitourinary organs, and the nervous system. Lead compounds are especially dangerous for preschool children. In large cities, the lead content in the atmosphere reaches 5-38 mg / m 3, which exceeds the natural background by 10,000 times.

Signs of poisoning sulfurous anhydride notice by the characteristic taste and smell. At a concentration of 6-20 cm 3 / m, it irritates the mucous membranes of the nose, throat, eyes, and irritates moist areas of the skin. Particularly dangerous are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as 3,4-benzopyrene (C 20 H 12), which are formed during incomplete combustion of fuel. According to a number of scientists, they have carcinogenic properties.

The dispersed composition of dust and mists determines the general penetrating ability of harmful substances into the human body. Particularly dangerous are toxic fine dust grains with a particle size of 0.5-1.0 microns, which easily penetrate the respiratory system.

Finally, various manifestations of discomfort due to air pollution - unpleasant odors, reduced illumination and others psychologically negatively affect people.

The harmful substances found in the atmosphere and precipitated affect animals as well. For example, in Austria lead accumulated in hares that ate grass along motorways. Three such hares, eaten in one week, are quite enough for a person to get sick as a result of lead poisoning.

In addition, along with emissions into the air, the national economy loses a lot of valuable products. Some of the emitted substances destroy metal structures, concrete, natural building stone materials, etc., thereby causing damage to industrial facilities and architectural monuments.

2.3. Chemical pollution of the environment and human health.

Currently, human economic activity is increasingly becoming the main source of pollution of the biosphere. Gaseous, liquid and solid industrial wastes enter the natural environment in increasing quantities. Various chemicals in waste, getting into soil, air or water, pass along ecological links from one chain to another, eventually getting into the human body.

It is almost impossible to find a place on the globe where pollutants are not present in one concentration or another. Even in the ice of Antarctica, where there are no industrial industries, and people live only at small scientific stations, scientists have discovered various toxic (poisonous) substances of modern industries. They are brought here by atmospheric streams from other continents.

Substances that pollute the natural environment are very diverse. Depending on their nature, concentration, time of action on the human body, they can cause various adverse effects. Short-term exposure to low concentrations of such substances can cause dizziness, nausea, sore throat, and coughing. The ingestion of large concentrations of toxic substances into the human body can lead to loss of consciousness, acute poisoning and even death. An example of such an action can be smog that forms in large cities in calm weather, or emergency emissions of toxic substances by industrial enterprises into the atmosphere.

The body's reactions to pollution depend on individual characteristics: age, gender, health status. As a rule, children, the elderly, the elderly, and the sick are more vulnerable.

With a systematic or periodic intake of relatively small amounts of toxic substances in the body, chronic poisoning occurs.

Signs of chronic poisoning are a violation of normal behavior, habits, as well as neuropsychiatric abnormalities: rapid fatigue or a feeling of constant fatigue, drowsiness or, conversely, insomnia, apathy, weakening of attention, distraction, forgetfulness, strong mood swings.

In chronic poisoning, the same substances in different people can cause various damage to the kidneys, hematopoietic organs, nervous system, liver.

Similar signs are observed in the case of radioactive contamination of the environment. So, in the areas exposed to radioactive contamination as a result of the Chernobyl disaster, the incidence among the population, especially children, has increased many times.

Highly biologically active chemical compounds can cause a long-term effect on human health: chronic inflammatory diseases of various organs, changes in the nervous system, an effect on the intrauterine development of the fetus, leading to various abnormalities in newborns.

Doctors have established a direct link between the increase in the number of people suffering from allergies, bronchial asthma, cancer, and the deterioration of the environmental situation in the region.

It has been reliably established that production wastes such as chromium, nickel, beryllium, asbestos, and many pesticides are carcinogenic, that is, causing cancer. Even in the last century, cancer in children was almost unknown, but now it occurs more and more often. As a result of pollution, new, previously unknown diseases appear. Their reasons can be very difficult to establish.

Smoking causes great harm to human health. A smoker not only inhales harmful substances himself, but also pollutes the atmosphere, endangers other people. It has been established that people who are in the same room with a smoker inhale even more harmful substances than he himself.

2.4. Biological pollution and human diseases

In addition to chemical pollutants, in the natural environment there are also biological ones that cause various diseases in humans. These are pathogens, viruses, helminths, protozoa. They can be found in the atmosphere, water, soil, in the body of other living organisms, including in the person himself.

The most dangerous are pathogens of infectious diseases. They have different resistance to the environment. Some are able to live outside the human body for only a few hours; being in the air, in water, on various objects, they quickly die. Others can live in the environment for days to years. For others, the environment is a natural habitat. For the fourth, other organisms, such as wild animals, are a place of conservation and reproduction.

Often the source of infection is the soil, which is constantly inhabited by pathogens of tetanus, botulism, gas gangrene, and some fungal diseases. They can get into the human body if the skin is damaged, with unwashed food, if the rules of hygiene are violated.

Pathogens can penetrate groundwater and cause infectious diseases in humans. Therefore, water from artesian wells, wells, springs must be boiled before drinking.

Open water sources are especially polluted: rivers, lakes, ponds. There are numerous cases when contaminated water sources have caused epidemics of cholera, typhoid fever, and dysentery.

With an airborne infection, infection occurs through the respiratory tract by inhaling air containing pathogens.

Such diseases include influenza, whooping cough, mumps, diphtheria, measles and others. The causative agents of these diseases get into the air when you cough, sneeze, and even when sick people talk.

A special group is made up of infectious diseases transmitted by close contact with a patient or by using his things, for example, a towel, a handkerchief, personal hygiene items and others used by the patient. These include sexually transmitted diseases (AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea), trachoma, anthrax, scab. Man, invading nature, often violates the natural conditions for the existence of pathogens and becomes a victim of natural focal diseases.

People and pets can become infected with natural focal diseases, getting into the territory of the natural focus. Such diseases include plague, tularemia, typhus, tick-borne encephalitis, malaria, and sleeping sickness.

Other routes of infection are also possible. So, in some hot countries, as well as in a number of regions of our country, there is an infectious disease leptospirosis, or water fever. In our country, the causative agent of this disease lives in the organisms of common voles, which are widespread in meadows near rivers. The disease with leptospirosis is seasonal, more common during heavy rains and in the hot months (July - August). A person can become infected when water contaminated with rodent secretions enters his body.

Diseases such as plague, psittacosis are transmitted by airborne droplets. When in areas of natural focal diseases, special precautions must be taken.

2.5. Factors affecting human health and life expectancy.

A person throughout his life is under the constant influence of a whole range of environmental factors - from environmental to social. In addition to individual biological characteristics, they all directly affect his life, health and, ultimately, life expectancy. The approximate contribution of various factors to the health of the population is assessed in four positions: lifestyle, genetics (biology) of a person, the external environment, and health care.

Grouping of risk factors according to their share of influence on health.

Factors influencing health	Approximate share of the factor,%	Risk factor groups
Lifestyle		Smoking, alcohol consumption, unbalanced, unhealthy diet, harmful working conditions, stressful situations (distress), weakness, physical inactivity, poor living conditions, drug use, drug abuse, fragility of families, loneliness, low educational and cultural level, excessively high level urbanization.
Genetics, human biology		Predisposition to hereditary diseases.
External environment, natural and climatic conditions		Air, water, soil pollution; a sharp change in atmospheric phenomena; increased cosmic, magnetic and other radiation.
Health care		Ineffectiveness of preventive measures, low quality of medical care, delay in its provision.

The data in the table show that the greatest impact on health is exerted by Lifestyle. Almost half of all cases of diseases depend on it. The second place in terms of impact on health is the state of the living environment human(at least one third of diseases are determined by adverse environmental influences). Heredity causes about 20% of diseases.

At the present time, when medicine has defeated many epidemic infectious diseases, and smallpox has practically been eliminated all over the world, the role of health care in preventing diseases of modern humans has somewhat decreased.

The prevention of diseases depends on many reasons that are far from medicine, starting with the socio-economic policy of the state and ending with a person's own behavior.

The health and life expectancy are influenced by the individual adaptive reactions of each member of society with its social and biological functions in certain conditions of a particular region. Human health cannot be quantified. Each age has its own "diseases.

A healthy body constantly ensures the optimal functioning of all its systems in response to any changes in the environment, for example, changes in temperature, atmospheric pressure, changes in the oxygen content in the air, humidity, etc. The preservation of the optimal life activity of a person when interacting with the environment is determined by the fact that for his body there is a certain physiological limit of endurance in relation to any environmental factor, and beyond the limit this factor will inevitably have a depressing effect on human health. For example, tests have shown that in urban conditions, human health is influenced by five main groups of factors: living environment, production factors, social, biological and individual lifestyle.

Influence of various environmental factors on public health

Factors	Recorded indicators	Influence degree,%
Living environment	Living space
	Distance to the forest park
	Chemical air pollution
	Duration of trips in transport
	The total impact of the living environment
Manufacturing	Contact with chemical hazards
	Professional experience
	Shift and nature of work
	The total influence of production factors
Social	Education
	Family status
	Average per capita income
	The total impact of social factors
Lifestyle
	Sleep duration
	Duration of homework
	Physical education and sports
	Outdoor activities
	Vacation out of town
	Cumulative impact of lifestyle
Biological
	The total influence of biological factors

Undoubtedly, both scientific and practical interest are published in the United States of America estimates of the reduction in life expectancy depending on various factors of the environment and lifestyle.

Estimates of the reduction in life expectancy due to various reasons

Causes	Shortening of life expectancy, day	Causes	Reduction in life expectancy, days
The bachelor life of men		Accidents at work
Smoking cigarettes (men)		The use of sleeping pills
Heart diseases		Working with radiation sources
Unmarried life of women
Excess weight by 30%		Pedestrian accidents
Working in coal mines		Accidents at the "safest" job
Malignant tumors
Excess weight by 20%		Energy production
Low educational level (below 8 grades)		Drug use (average)
Smoking cigarettes (woman)		Poisoning with poisons
Low socio-economic level		Strangulation
		Accidents with firearms
Living in the "unfortunate" area of ​​the country		Natural radiation
Army service in Vietnam		Medical X-ray diagnostics
Smoking cigars		Poisonous gases
Dangerous job		Coffee consumption
Pipe smoking		Bicycle accidents
Consuming more than 100 calories from food per day		Natural disasters
Car crashes		Fluid intake
Pneumonia / flu		Nuclear power plant accidents (according to the Anti-Nuclear Society of Concerned Scientists)
Alcohol consumption (average)		Nuclear power plant accident (according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission)
Accidents at home		Radiative forcing of nuclear power

When assessing the health of the population, such an important factor of regional peculiarities is also taken into account, which consists of a number of elements: climate, relief, the degree of anthropogenic loads, the development of socio-economic conditions, population density, industrial accidents, catastrophes and natural disasters, etc. It is of great concern that at present the Russian Federation, in terms of mortality rate and average life expectancy, is steadily last places among industrialized countries. Let us consider how the situation has developed in Russia over the past 70-80 years.

On the eve of the First World War in 1913, 45.5 people were born and 29.1 died per 1000 inhabitants of Russia. Thus, the natural increase was 16.4 people. In 1960, when the demographic revolution was basically completed in most of the country, the number of births per year was 24.9 thousand, and the number of deaths - 7.1 thousand, people, natural increase - 17%. One of the main reasons for these changes was the rapid decline in the mortality rate of the population. At the turn of the 20th century, life expectancy was only 32 years. 1970-1980 it more than doubled and reached more than 73 years.

The efforts of medicine in the fight against infectious diseases, in particular with "childhood" infections: measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, poliomyelitis, and others, contributed significantly to the reduction in mortality.

However, in recent years, since the beginning of the transition to the so-called "market economy", the demographic situation in the country has become critical. The death rate began to exceed the birth rate by 1.7 times, and in many territories of Russia - by 2-3 times. In 2000, the death rate in Russia was almost twice the birth rate. Over the past 10 years, almost 6 million fewer children have been born than in the previous decade.

The infant mortality rate in Russia is 22.5 times higher than in Japan. The mortality rate of children aged 1 to 4 is 4-5 times higher than in developed countries.

Now the population of Russia is decreasing by 0.7-0.8 million people a year. There are only about 5 million children under the age of 6. Moreover, more than half of them have certain diseases.

According to experts, by 2040 Russia expects not only a decrease in the population as a whole, but also in the working-age population by almost a quarter.

CONCLUSION

The problem of ecology is one of the most pressing in our time, and I want to believe that our descendants will not be as susceptible to negative environmental factors as at present. However, humanity is still not aware of the importance and global nature of the problem that it faces in relation to environmental protection. All over the world, people strive for the maximum reduction of environmental pollution, and in the Russian Federation, for example, a criminal code has been adopted, one of the chapters of which is devoted to the establishment of punishment for environmental crimes. But, of course, not all ways to overcome this problem have been solved, and we should take care of the environment on our own and maintain the natural balance in which a person is able to exist normally.

All processes in the biosphere are interconnected. Humanity is only an insignificant part of the biosphere, and man is only one of the types of organic life - Homo sapiens (Homo sapiens). Reason singled out man from the animal world and gave him enormous power. For centuries, man has striven not to adapt to the natural environment, but to make it comfortable for his existence. Now everyone understands that any human activity has an impact on the environment, and the deterioration of the state of the biosphere is dangerous for all living beings, including humans. A comprehensive study of the relationship of a person with the outside world led to the understanding that health is not only the absence of disease, but also physical, mental and social well-being. Health is a capital given to us not only by nature from birth, but also by the conditions in which we live.

Based on the achievements of the past and the present, a balanced combination of the main functions of public health in different groups of the population, it is necessary to achieve in every possible way an increase in the level of socio-psychological health (optimum) of both each individual and the entire population of any city (respectively, of course, and rural areas). At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the concentrated, in essence, unique opportunities for the development of psychological health that the urban environment creates. But along with this, it is important to study negative factors determined by the influence of certain phenomena of mass culture that reduce the possibilities of creative work (cultural and physical health, self-closure of the individual), anomalies of social behavior, the influence of fashion, subcultural trends (in particular, among young people). Deep connections with the shadow economy can also be found here.

Pollution of the human environment primarily affects their health, physical endurance, performance, as well as their fertility and mortality. The impact of the natural environment on humans - through human dependence on natural means of subsistence, on the abundance or lack of food, that is, game, fish, plant resources. Another path of influence is the path of the presence or absence of the necessary means of labor: it is clear that in different eras, flint, tin, copper, iron, gold, coal, uranium ores were of different importance in the economy of a person and society. Another way of the environment's influence on a person and his culture is the creation by nature itself of motives that induce him to action, stimuli for action, a requirement of changing environmental conditions.

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