National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. (2021, July 16). Global Environmental Health and Sustainable Development. Retrieved August 15, 2021, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/population/global/index.cfm. 

Most diseases closely related to poverty have a connection to the environment. The World Health Organization has estimated about 25% of diseases are due to environmental factors. Low-income communities are greatly affected by this. Poorer people are more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards, such as air pollution, which generates diseases, and then economic development is slowed, only increasing air pollution. A cycle is created as sickness is expensive and disables people from working, which continues to weaken the chance of these communities becoming wealthy. Through the help of higher-income communities and sustainable development, this cycle could be broken.

Cycles such as the one mentioned in this article are not only damaging ourselves, but the environment. These environmental diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, are deepening the decrease in human health worldwide, and increasing poverty. It is important that we acknowledge these problems and work to come up with solutions. I found this article very interesting as it mentioned the huge impact that wealth and money has on the health of your surrounding environment and yourself. I think that to solve the problems in our world’s environment, we must work together and share some of our wealth to help lower-income communities (and this would help solve the issue of poverty as well!).  

Brody, Jane E. (2021, February 1). How Climate Change May Affect Your Health. Retrieved August 15, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/well/eat/climate-change-health.html. 

Many people only see how the consequences of climate change impact others and their own environment, when it can endanger everyone’s health. As the planet is warming, heat waves, droughts, wildfires, warmer oceans, and much more are increasing the risk of sicknesses. Strong links have been found between high air pollution and dementia. Other illnesses, such as asthma and respiratory allergies, are also threatening. Warm weather also raises infectious diseases carried by vectors like ticks and mosquitoes. Global warming endangers the safety of food with food poisoning and contamination, which opens up an even bigger variety of diseases to humans.

The article explains the threat climate change poses on the environment and how this shift in the environment affects our own health through diseases and sicknesses. I think this article could benefit our world and our own health greatly by informing people of the changes they can make to help. I feel pressured to change my light bulbs to solar panels as they rely on non polluting renewable energy and drive less. If everyone made these simple changes, our climate change would decrease and health would improve.

Jennings, Viniece, Reid. (2021, August 3). Green Infrastructure Can Limit but Not Solve Air Pollution Injustice. Retrieved August 15, 2021, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24892-1. 

Air pollution is the leading contributor to environmental related diseases as it contributes to millions of deaths worldwide. Green infrastructure may not be able to eliminate air pollution completely, but it can definitely limit it, while improving overall health. Evidence shows unequal access to green infrastructure limits the chance for air quality improvements in more marginalized areas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, statistics have proved that there are higher Coronavirus deaths among people who have health conditions related to exposure to air pollution.

This article sheds light on how significant the impact of air pollution has on diseases and health worldwide. It explains that communities suffer different amounts from air pollution related diseases and the factors, such as race and class, that cause this uneven spread. I found this article interesting and gained a new perspective on the influence from where you live. I am more grateful for my home and community after reading about the lack of access to enough green infrastructure for so many people that is the source for such low air quality. I think that through more communication and raising awareness about this issue, we could help save the environment, and ourselves, through more green infrastructure and other resources.

NIH. (2021, August 13). Environmental Diseases from A to Z. Retrieved August 15, 2021, from https://www.ehso.com/environmentaldiseases.htm .

There are many diseases related to the environment that surround us and threaten us in our everyday life. These diseases’ causes range from air pollution from everyday lives to chemical exposure in work places. Humans are responsible for many of our sicknesses that are related to the environment as the cause for many of these diseases are from man-made toxins. These diseases can be avoided through careful and thoughtful control of our impact on the environment, and using our resources wisely to filter water, protect against the sun, stay healthy, etc..

This article was a great overview and introduction to environmental related diseases. It listed and explained many common diseases and how they are related to the environment. I felt pressure put on me and other humans to do better and work to avoid releasing toxins and pollution into the air. I wonder how many of these diseases would disappear and how much the world would change if people stopped polluting the air. I was especially interested in heart diseases and how it is not only bad eating habits or lack of exercise that may cause heart disease, but environmental chemicals also have a role. This article inspired, and in a way scared, me to help our world lower our emissions and other toxins that are being released into the environment.

Cockburn, Harry. (2021, August 15). Can Going Vegan Save the World? Retrieved August 15, 2021, from www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/veganism-meat-environmental-impact-diet-b1901628.html.

Can going vegan save the world? Improvements in farming techniques have increased emissions, threatening our world’s environment more everyday. This air pollution and release of toxins is not only directly causing diseases in humans, but also in animals, which are then being eaten. Transitioning to a vegan or overall more plant-based diet would reduce diet-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, and strokes. Meat production alone produces 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. The world’s environmental health and human’s health would both benefit greatly from vegan diets.

This article puts a stress on the relationship between meat and dairy consumption and the health of humans and the environment. It can give people a new perspective on their food consumption as it is explained that cutting meat and dairy products out of your own diet can reduce up to 73 percent of your individual carbon footprint from food. The reader can only imagine the impact if everyone took on this diet. I found this article very interesting and found a new perspective on my own food consumption. In a way, we are making ourselves suffer as our own technology and lifestyle is creating the diseases so many of us suffer from. After reading this article, I feel a big responsibility to help reduce our destruction of the environment and reduce diseases our food production is creating and spreading. Although it would be a sacrifice to give up meat and dairy, I understand the impact that it could make. The article also brings up the idea of a vegetarian or pescatarian diet and how much these could save our planet too. It makes me question is my own enjoyment of food worth the destruction of our planet and animals?

Berkeley News, First-of-its-kind study links wildfire smoke to skin disease, written by Kara Manke, April 21, 2021 (link)

Wildfire smoke can affect the human body in a multitude of ways. While some people have developed a runny nose or cough, others have had heart attacks, strokes, and more. New studies are showing that smoke can now affect skin health in negative ways. There have been cases where polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other gases, have gone through the skin and penetrated cells. People with eczema are even more at risk.    

I didn’t know there were so many ways that smoke from wildfires could affect people. It’s terrifying that even smoke from a campfire could trigger some of the reactions that were mentioned. The article also brought up an increase in prescribed medications, which I found really interesting. This means that the economy is being affected as well. Plus, as global temperatures increase, the number of wildfires increases. Not only does this cause pollution, but it also feeds into the greenhouse effect.

The San Diego Union Tribune, Column: Ticking bomb: Lyme disease is not an East Coast phenomenon, written by Diane Bell, March 6, 2020 (link)

Cases of Lyme disease have been reported in around 42 counties in the state of California. Symptoms include headaches, chronic fatigue, joint pain, and more. Western black-legged ticks can infect humans with Borellia burgdorferi, the bacteria that results from Lyme disease. Scientists have been studying the blood and urine of those infected to get more information. There are 50 current studies in progress. While voles, moles, rats, and mice are known to carry ticks, gray squirrels are the primary culprits.

 I had no idea Lyme disease could lead to memory loss. The increase in Western black-legged ticks is pretty scary. Lyme disease is an environmental-related disease that can be transmitted to humans. Besides that being the primary topic of this article, other topics were introduced, such as an increase in studies and search for better technology in relation to this dilemma. It’s hard to say if this issue will affect the economy, considering that fewer people might want to go to national parks, which is one of California’s income sources.  

News > Environment, Rapidly spreading virus killing rabbits in Southern California, written by Martin Wisckol, July 16, 2020 (link)

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type 2 has been infecting the rabbits in southern California. Reports of this disease have been spotted in various counties: Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and San Bernardino. 90% of rabbits are killed when exposed to this illness. Some symptoms include a lack of appetite, fever, and difficulty breathing. Despite there being a vaccine, this disease is still hard to track in the wild.      

It’s crazy that this disease is so lethal to rabbits, and that this is happening in areas pretty close to where I live. I was surprised to find out that rabbits could drop dead without showing symptoms. This article has to do with environmental science in several ways. For one, RHDV2 is an environmental-related disease. Also, the effects of this sickness could result in the changing of ecosystems. Certain animals, such as bobcats and coyotes, depend on rabbits as a food source. The dwindling in numbers could be highly detrimental to those predators. 

The New York Times, State Bacteria Are Attacking California’s Trout Supply, Written by Will McCarthy, September 29, 2020 (link)

In late April, trout began to show odd symptoms in local hatcheries. These symptoms involved bulging of the eyes, swelling of the abdomen, and more. After running tests, studies showed that it was Lactococcus garvieae. The bacterial infection was first seen in a Spanish hatchery in 1988, before making its way through various countries to the United States. While some fish show symptoms, others are asymptomatic, making this disease even harder to track. 

There is a lot of care that goes into looking over fish, let alone any organism, from creating a stable environment for them to thrive, to properly caring for them. Not only does this article mention the topic of hatcheries, but it also brings up the economy of certain areas, which are both prevalent topics when discussing environmental science. All of these factors are being compromised by the Lactococcus garvieae infection, which fits in the category of environmental related diseases. I was shocked to learn about the amount of fish being subjected to this illness, as well as the decisions that were made regarding this issue.