Faculty: Applied Science

Department: Environmental & Occupational Studies

Degree: Bachelor of Environmental Health (BPENVH)
Course: Professional Practice 1
Course Code: PFP 150S

Louella Daries
dariesl@cput.ac.za
Rm. 2.34, 3rd Floor
Applied Science Building
District 6 Campus
 The Field of Environmental Health
- the fields of environmental health has different jobs.
- E.g. work to identify environmental hazards, and
- prevent people from being harmed by them:
- scientists working in laboratories.
- Working for government/public industry
- writing regulations and
- studying pollution.
- work for corporations/private industry;
- to help make sure that workplaces are safe and
- that the environment is kept as clean as possible.
- These jobs require a solid understanding of science and
math, knowledge about the law, and good
communication skills
 ENV HEALTH DEFINED:

“…control of all physical, chemical and biological

AND radiological influences, processes and/or
factors which directly or indirectly has a potential
effect on the well- being of man…” (Stewart, T.H., p.
27: 1990)

- incl. man’s possessions and

surroundings
National Environmental Health Policy (NEHP)
951/2013

• Defines Environmental Health as follows:

• Environmental Health encompasses those aspects of human

health, including quality of life that is determined by physical,
chemical, biological, social and psychosocial factors in the
environment.

• It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing,

correcting, controlling and preventing those factors in the
environment that can potentially adversely affect the health of
present and future generations.
SO: ENV/HEALTH (NIEHS, 2005):
• is the study of how the environment affects human health.
• It differs from the study of how humans affect the environment,
because it focuses on people’s health- Environmental
Management
• Example:
• An environmental scientist might study how water pollution is
hurting fish.
• An environmental health scientist would study what happens
to the health of people when they catch and eat those fish.
• Environmental health is not just about the health of the
environment – it always comes back to you and whether the
environment you are part of is helping you stay healthy, or
making you sick.
 STUDY of Env. Health concerns:

• Identification (of hazards),

• evaluation/assessment/monitoring (of the
hazards to determine e.g. its size and associated risk);

• prevention, elimination/control of
hazards in the total environment, (involves
devising intervention/s that will mediate the impact/effect of the identified hazard(s))and

• monitoring devised interventions (to ensure

that the intervention controls the hazard.)
HAZARDS & RISKS

• Daily contact with things in your environment that can help you
or hurt you.
• This ‘contact’ is referred to as “exposure”
• Some of these exposures are important for keeping you healthy,
such as oxygen or medicines.
• However, some of these may be harmful to your health, such as
tobacco smoke or snake venom.
• the ‘harmfuls’ in any environment are called hazards and
include exposure to e.g. chemicals, disease-causing bacteria,
loud noises and even stress.
• Hazards can be natural or human-made
Hazards and Risks
• A hazard is something that can/might cause
harm, e.g. electricity, chemicals, working up a
ladder, noise, a keyboard, a bully at work, stress,
etc.
RISK:
• A risk is the chance/possibility/probability- whether
high or low, that any hazard will actually cause somebody
harm
• SO: risks is about the potential for the hazard to impact
on the individual/s in a particular context
• Risk can be quantified- i.e. a percentage can be ascribed to
the chance of something going wrong
e.g. 1:10 chance = 10% chance of something going wrong
 Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZmNZi8bon8

Hazard, Risk & Safety - Understanding Risk Assessment, Management and Perception
 Self Study Work:

• Provide at least three (03) examples each of the following

hazards which may affect the well-being of people in the
environment you live (could be CPUT campus
residence/home, etc):
– Biological hazards;
– Chemical hazards;
– Physical hazards;
– Radiological hazards;
→Explain why you think these may influence the health of
people negatively in this environment
Commonly used terms and
concepts of Environmental Health
Follow the link to find the most commonly used terms and

concepts in the EH field;

As you learn new terms and concepts, add them to your list

Revise these so that you understand them, then write your

understanding of each term/concepts in your own words

TERMS AND CONCEPTS -INTRO TO EH.pdf

Environmental Health & Legislation
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 1948)

• RSA Constitution, no 108/1996- Chapter 2, Bill of Rights, Section 24

• National Health Act, act no. 61 of 2003- Section 32(1)- metropolitan and
district municipalities responsible for the rendering of Municipalities
Health Services (MHS)
• National Environmental Health Policy, no. 951/2013
• National Environmental Health Norms and Standards for Premises and
Acceptable Monitoring Standards for Environmental Health
Practitioners, GN 1229 of 2015

• Regulations Defining the Scope of Profession of Environmental Health, reg. no

698 of 2009 (amended)
•
RSA: LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

LOCAL GOVERNMENT: metropolitan and district

Municipalities render MHS EHP
RSA: CONSTITUTION, Act no. 108 of 1996-
highest law of the country/ no other law
can exceed the Constitution of the country

ALL OTHER LEGISLATION E.G.: ACTS,

REGULATIONS/GOV
NOTICES/GAZETTES/STANDARDS
/CODES

RSA: PROVINCIAL ORDONANCES:

laws applicable to specific provinces

RSA: MUNICIPAL BY-

LAWS/POLICIES/STANDARDS (laws
and rules applicable within a
particular municipal jurisdiction)
Self Study Work (cont.)
• Read through the terms and concepts commonly used in Environmental
Health

• Write each term in your own words

• Add at least 3 commonly used terms &/ concepts to the list per week and
also write these in your own words

• Describe how the practice of EH is aligned to legislation

Aim of the EH Policy: 951/2013

• Prevention and reduction of health risks associated with

environmental hazards which are the direct
• causes of the spread of disease and conditions related to
environmental health. In this correction,
• environmental health services should be prioritized by all
responsible agencies
 Diseases associated with environmental
health includes:

• Water borne diseases

• Acute respiratory tract infections
• Lung diseases
• Vector-borne diseases
• Food borne illnesses
• Chemical poisoning
 Issues of Env Health

• Land, water- and air pollution;

• Sanitation;
• Water quality and quantity;
• Waste management;
• Food hygiene and food safety management;
• Community development and Health promotion;
• Public administration;
• Occupational health and safety issues;
• Epidemiology;
• Industrial, commercial and housing development
 Issues of Env Health(cont)

• Environmental management and sustainable

development;
• Land-use and urban planning.
Tourism and leisure
• Transport and safety
• Surveillance
• Disaster management
• Research and development
• Port health services
• Pest control
 Diseases associated with
environmental health includes:
• Water borne diseases
• Acute respiratory tract infections
• Lung diseases
• Vector-borne diseases
• Food borne illnesses
• Chemical poisoning
 ISSUES OF ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH:
1. Pollution: …Water-
• Labling a Water • Polluted water:
Sample
 Pollution:
…Indoor Air- (in Tobacco control)
 Pollution:
…Outdoor Air-
 Pollution:
…Soil/Waste
Pollution: Environmental Noise:
2. Sanitation: Bucket system
Sanitation:
VIP’s
3. Water quality and quantity:
(accessibility, availability…)
Water quality and quantity:
Water Quality & Quantity:
Treatment
Water Quality & Quantity:
Treatment
4. Waste management;
Waste Collection:
Waste management:
… Landfill sites
5. Food hygiene and food safety
management: Food Inspection
Food hygiene and food safety management:
Food Premises Inspection
6. Occupational health and safety
issues: PPE
 Occupational Health and safety:
Personal Noise Dosimeter & Lux Meter
7. Industrial, commercial and
housing development:
 Industrial, commercial and housing
development: Building Plan scrutiny:
• Ventilation:
8. Community development and
Health promotion;
Community development and
Health promotion;
9. Public administration;
 10. Epidemiology:
Disease patterns/distribution
11. Pest Control:
 12. Port health services
• Harbours: • Airports:
Port Health: Food Consignment
Inspections
Disaster management
 Research and development
• Eg. Lab. Based:
Environmental management and
sustainable development;
Land-use and urban planning
Transport and safety
 Surveillance

• Eg. Mapping disease per region

 Tourism and leisure
• Health during leisure, etc.
 New Focus of EHealth to include
Sustainable Dev. Goals 2030:
• Sanitation targets
• Access to safe drinking water
• Pollution
• Waste management
• Interactive role with communities
• Chemicals management
• Community participation
• Health Care Waste Management
 New Focus of EHealth to include:

• Sanitation targets Access to safe drinking water

• Pollution
• Waste management
• Interactive role with communities
• Chemicals management
• Community participation
• Health Care Waste Management
• Sustainable Development Goals
Modern Env Health Hazards

• Read the article by Nweke & Sanders III (2009) with the title:
“Modern Environmental Health Hazards: A Public Health Issue of Increasing
Significance in Africa”

Article Link:

MEHH.pdf
 Self-Study

• Identify and describe the historical (traditional) issues of EH

• Identify and describe the modern issues of EH

• Find at least one more recent journal article (i.e. written in the last 5 yrs) which
describes/discusses modern Environmental Health issues- especially one which
relates to the South African context- summarise the article- What are the issues?
Why do they exist? What are the implications? What is/are recommended?

• Read through the Regulation defining the scope of the profession of EH

(R698/2009):

• Describe the section(s) that are relevant to addressing the modern EH issue
described in the article you sourced.
References:
• DOH. 2015. National environmental health norms and standards for premises and
acceptable monitoring standards for environmental health practitioners, GN 1229
of 2015. Government Gazette. Pretoria, Government Printers

• DOH. 2013. National environmental health policy, GN 37112. Government Gazette.

Pretoria, Government Printers
www.gpwonline.co.za

• NIEHS. 2005. What is Environmental Health? A student introduction. NIEHS Center

for Ecogenetics & Environmental Health. Seattle: University of Washington

• Nweke, O. and Sanders III, W.H. 2009. Modern environmental health hazards: a
public health issue of increasing significance in Africa. Environmental Health
Perspectives, 117(6): 863-870

• RSA. 1996. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, act no 108 of 1996.
Pretoria, Government Printers

• RSA. 2003. National Health Act, act no 61 of 2003. Pretoria, Government Printers