Impacts of Environmental Pollution on Parasitic Diseases And their Public Health Implications

https://doi.org/10.4314/njpar.v41i2.20

Abstract

Environmental pollution, a global problem, is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment causing adverse changes harmful to man and the environment (World Health Organization [WHO], 2007, 2016a). Different sources of pollution affect the water, air, and the soil. Environmental pollutants include chemicals, geochemical substance (dust, sediment), biological organism or product, physical substance (heat, radiation, sound wave) released by man into the environment resulting in adverse effects. These effects on man may either be direct or indirect through the food chain, direct contact, use, parasitism, climate change etc. The different categories of pollution are air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, (through chemicals, hazardous wastes, and sanitation), noise pollution, radioactive pollution and thermal pollution. Air pollution is the main type threatening the environment, humans, plants, animals, and all living organisms. Environmental pollution is one of the major problems affecting biodiversity, ecosystems,and human health worldwide.

WHO estimates of 2012 showed that household air pollution caused 4.3m deaths; ambient air pollution 3.7m and unsafe water, poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene caused 842,000 deaths (WHO, 2014). Contaminated soil at active and abandoned mines, smelters, industrial facilities and hazardous waste sites has killed tens of thousands of people and injured hundreds of thousands more (WHO, 2015). The world’s poor are mostly affected by pollution (ambient air pollution (WHO, 2016b) while more than 90% of pollution related deaths occur in low and middle income countries. In rapidly developing
countries however, ambient air pollution, toxic chemicals and pesticides are emerging environmental hazards, which are linked to non communicable diseases (NCDs) such as neurodevelopmental disorders, birth defects among children, and heart disease, stroke and cancer in adults. Economic growth, production, outsourcing and relocation of chemical manufacture, recycling, dumping and other heavy industries to low and middle income countries (LMICs) make toxic chemicals an increasing important component of environmental pollution.

WHO profiles of environmental burden of disease for 192 countries (WHO, 2016a) showed that between 13% and 37% of the countries' disease burden, resulting globally in about 13 million deaths yearly, could be prevented by environmental improvements. 

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