Enironmental issues in Canada
Environmental Health Issues in Canada:
Today, Canadians have to face many issues that affect not only the environment, but also our health and well being. The environment has an important effect on a person’s health. Each year millions of people become ill and disabled because of environment contaminants. This costs billions of dollars every year in terms of healthcare expenses and lost productivity. So, protecting the environment and promoting health and safety are the key challenges faced by the society. The environment is now recognized as the critical determinant of Health. Positive environment factors promote and sustain Health while negative environmental factors are threat to health. This report discusses the major environmental issues and causes that are reason for various health related problems among Canadians.
Issues
Some issues that are known to cause ongoing problems are air quality, climate change, habitat and wildlife, pollution and waste, water, and weather.
1. Air
Air pollution is among the main environmental concerns that Canadians are facing today. Human activities including residential and industrial activities are the primary causes of air pollution. The air pollutants have an adverse effect on human health. The major outdoor air pollutants in Canada are ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These air pollutants are the major cause of smog and acid rain. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gasoline emits these air pollutants as by-products. Energy consumption and residential wood heating is the greatest single source of air pollution in Canada. These air pollutants cause a lot of respiratory and cardiovascular problems in human body including difficulty breathing, coughing and wheezing. There is an increase in respiratory infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis because of ground level ozone. Moreover, it has reduced the lung capacity of healthy children and
Today, Canadians have to face many issues that affect not only the environment, but also our health and well being. The environment has an important effect on a person’s health. Each year millions of people become ill and disabled because of environment contaminants. This costs billions of dollars every year in terms of healthcare expenses and lost productivity. So, protecting the environment and promoting health and safety are the key challenges faced by the society. The environment is now recognized as the critical determinant of Health. Positive environment factors promote and sustain Health while negative environmental factors are threat to health. This report discusses the major environmental issues and causes that are reason for various health related problems among Canadians.
Issues
Some issues that are known to cause ongoing problems are air quality, climate change, habitat and wildlife, pollution and waste, water, and weather.
1. Air
Air pollution is among the main environmental concerns that Canadians are facing today. Human activities including residential and industrial activities are the primary causes of air pollution. The air pollutants have an adverse effect on human health. The major outdoor air pollutants in Canada are ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These air pollutants are the major cause of smog and acid rain. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gasoline emits these air pollutants as by-products. Energy consumption and residential wood heating is the greatest single source of air pollution in Canada. These air pollutants cause a lot of respiratory and cardiovascular problems in human body including difficulty breathing, coughing and wheezing. There is an increase in respiratory infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis because of ground level ozone. Moreover, it has reduced the lung capacity of healthy children and
Bibliography: 4. “Environmental Health”. cna-aicc.ca. Canadian Nurses Association,2011.web. 10 November. 2012. < http://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/on-the-issues/environmental-health > 5 6. “Health and Environment”.sustreport.org. The Sustainability Report, 2004.web.November 25.2012. < http://www.sustreport.org/issues/health_env_sbar.html > 7 8. “Canada’s Action on Climate Change”. Climatechange.gc.ca. Government of Canada, 2012.web.November 17.2012 < http://climatechange.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=D27052CE-1 > 9 10. “Water Pollution”.safewater.org. Safe Drinking Water Foundation, 2009.web.November 8.2012. < http://www.safewater.org/PDFS/resourcesknowthefacts/WaterPollution.pdf > 11