Major health risks associated with environmental pollution

So far you have learned how different categories of waste (solid waste, liquid waste including human excreta, and air pollutants) pollute the environment and can have a serious effect on human health. Table 2.1 summarises the major health problems associated with wastes and pollution.

Table 2.1 Summary of major pollutants and associated health risks.

Of all the health risks identified in Table 2.1, the problem of contamination with human excreta has the greatest impact. Globally, diarrhoea is the second most common cause of death in children under five years of age (Walker et al., 2013, cited in Brown et al., 2013). Worldwide, 807 million people are infected with the Ascaris worm that causes ascariasis (Hotez et al., 2008, cited in Brown et al., 2013).

It is clear that there is a significant disease burden on urban communities because waste is not efficiently managed. Access to proper latrines is one crucial area of WASH service that can help to reduce or eliminate the major health risks related to faeces given in Table 2.1. Solid waste collection, transport and disposal are essential areas of service. Pit emptying, which ensures faecal sludge is collected and disposed of safely, is particularly important to minimise the health risks to local communities.

These health risks do not affect everyone in the same way. Certain segments of urban communities are more vulnerable to the effects of environmental pollution than others.

Exposing these vulnerable people to an additional disease burden can significantly affect their health status. For example, if people already living with HIV/AIDS are infected by diarrhoea, their lives can be threatened, which can have serious implications for those providing care and support, as well as having a substantial economic impact on the families involved.

Poor people are a particularly vulnerable group. They are likely to live near waste dumpsites because they cannot afford to live in areas where there is a proper infrastructure. They may be the first people to be exposed to the effects of accumulated waste. They are also the most likely people to be hired to work in the collection and transportation of waste, but because proper protective clothing and equipment are often lacking, they are exposed to infection as they go about their daily work. Some in extreme poverty try to survive by collecting reusable waste. Their health is at continuous risk due to their constant exposure to wastes.

When disease affects those in vulnerable groups, it may spread to the entire urban community. For WASH services to be effective they need to be designed and implemented to reach everywhere and everyone.