environmental health

• Environmental Health


  A branch of public health devoted to preventing illness through managing the environment and changing people's behavior to reduce exposure to biological agents of disease and injury
• Environmental Sanitation


  The control of every factor in the physical environment such as water, air, soil, excretal and food as well as insect/rodent, chemical, solid and liquid wastes which have a significant effect on the physical development, health and survival
• Importance of Environmental Sanitation

  • It promotes health
  • It prevents disease transmission
  • It eliminates breeding places of the insects and rodents that carry germs
  • It improves the quality of life
  • It protects the environment from pollution
• Goals of Environmental Sanitation

  • Water sanitation
  • Food sanitation
  • Community waste management
  • Rodent control
  • Vector control
  • Air pollution control
  • Occupation health
  • Radiologic health
  • Sanitary housing
  • Disaster management
• Water is a prime necessity and a basic need for existence


  Used for drinking, bathing, cooking, washing and maintaining general cleanliness in and around the house
• Types of Water Supply

  • Level I (Point source)
  • Level II (Communal Faucet System / Stand Posts)
  • Level III (Waterworks System)
• Doubtful Sources of Water Contamination

  • Location of toilet
  • Poor sanitary practices
  • Failure to clean water tanks
  • Illegal connection to pipes
  • Leaking pipes
  • Failure to protect water wells
  • Poor drainage of excess water
  • Bathing and washing near the source
• Types of Water


  • Potable water
  • Polluted water
  • Contaminated water
• Sources of Water


  • Rainwater
  • Surface water
  • Underground water
  • Piped water
• Impurities in Water


  • Physical impurities
  • Chemical impurities
  • Biologic/Bacteriologic impurities
  • Radiologic impurities
• Examinations of Water


  • Physical Examination
  • Chemical Examination
  • Microbiological Examination
  • Radiological Examination
• Physical Examination of Water

  • Turbidity
  • Color
  • Odor
  • Taste
• Chemical Examination of Water

  • Hardness / Softness
  • pH (alkalinity / acidity)
  • Organic nitrogen
  • Toxic substances
• Microbiological Examination of Water

  • Multiple Tube Fermentation
  • Membrane Filtration Method / Standard Plate Count
• Methods of Treatment of Water

  • Filtration or straining
  • Boiling of water
  • Chemical disinfection - Chlorination
  • Aeration
  • Softening
  • Fluoridation
  • Coagulation or sedimentation with chemicals
  • Use of physical disinfectants like heat and radiation
  • Contact treatment - removal of taste, odor, color of water by the use of activated charcoal as absorbent
• Public Health Importance of Food

  • Nutrition - food provides essential nutrients needed by our body
  • Disease - food serves as vehicle/reservoir for food-borne diseases
  • Food-borne infection - caused by living organisms such as bacteria and parasite entering the body with food as vehicle for transmission
  • Food borne or intoxication - this maybe caused by bacterial toxins or chemicals, may also be naturally occurring poisons present in plants, mushrooms, fishes and spoiled foods
• Terms Associated with Food Sanitation

  • Food Control
  • Food Management
  • Food Technology
  • Food Handlers
• Four Rights in Food Safety

  • Right Sources
  • Right Preparation
  • Right Cooking
  • Right Storage
• Methods of Food Preservation

  • Refrigeration (cooling)
  • Drying
  • Salting
  • Pickling or souring
  • Sugaring
  • Smoking
  • Canning & Sterilization
• Ways Foods May Be Altered

  • Mixing
  • Substitution
  • Subtraction of valuable constituents
  • Concealing inferiority
  • Addition of adulterants
  • Misbranding
  • Foods from sick animals or contaminated vegetables
• Waste Materials


  • Human excreta
  • Garbage
  • Refuse
  • Industrial waste
• Types of Refuse


  • Garbage
  • Rubbish
• Garbage


  Solid wastes resulting from the processing, preparation and consumption of foods (ex. Left over vegetables, animals and fish materials)
• Rubbish


  Combustible- discarded furniture, paper, yard trimmings. Considere
• Foods may be altered as follows:
• Ways foods may be altered

  • Mixing - if any substance has been mixed or added so as to increase the quantity but lowers the quality
  • Substitution- fraudulent substitution of cheaper article
  • Subtraction of valuable constituents
  • Concealing inferiority
  • Addition of adulterants
  • Misbranding- imitation, mislabeling
  • Foods from sick animals or contaminated vegetables
• Waste materials consists of human excreta, garbage, refuse and industrial waste
• Types of refuse


  • Garbage
  • Rubbish
  • Ashes
• Public health importance of garbage

  • Serve as breeding place of flies and other insects
  • Harborage of rats and other vermin
  • Offensive odor
  • Garbage fed to hogs
• Rubbish


  • Combustible- discarded furniture, paper, yard trimmings. Considered as fire hazard
  • Non-combustible- tin cans, ceramic, glass waste, metals. Breeding places of mosquitoes and other insects, can cause wound injuries
• Ashes


  • Left over from burning wood and charcoal
  • Irritant to eyes and nose
• Types of waste according to use

  • Household waste
  • Hazardous waste
• Household waste


  • Biodegradable- waste that can decompose in the soil after a long period of time
  • Non-Biodegradable- waste that do not decompose in the soil
• Hazardous waste


  • Also known as industrial wastes
  • Immediate and long-term risk to man, animals, plants and environment
  • Any discarded solid or liquid that: Contains carcinogenic compounds, Catches fire easily (gasoline, tinners), Reactive or unstable enough to explode or release toxic fumes
• 3 basic methods of refuse disposal

  • Storage
  • Collection
  • Final disposal
• Excreta refers to feces, urine and discharges from nose and skin
• Sewage refers to water with discharge of the human body together with liquid waste from households and factory
• Related diseases from improper excreta and sewage disposal

  • Bacterial infection – typhoid, cholera, bacillary dysentery, gastro-enteritis
  • Viral infection – infectious hepatitis, poliomyelitis
  • Protozoan infection - amoebiasis
  • Helminthic infection – ascaris, hookworm, schistosomiasis
• Modes of transmission for excreta-related diseases

  • Water
  • Arthropods
  • Soil
  • Hands
• How to control transmission of excreta-related diseases

  • Proper excreta disposal
  • Treatment of wastewater prior to discharge
  • Good personal hygiene
  • Proper food handling/storage
  • Water disinfection
  • Eliminate breeding place of insects
  • Treatment of infected individuals (deworming)
  • Health education