Transcript Environmental Health

Environmental
Health
Air Quality Index (AQI)
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AQI: developed by the EPA is an index for
reporting daily air quality
 Range
From: 0-500
 Air Quality: good to hazardous
 Color Code: green to maroon
To Reduce Air Pollution…
1.
2.
Reduce car use: walk, bike, take public
transportation or carpool.
Conserve Energy: turn off lights when
not in use, set the air conditioner at a
higher temperature and put on extra
layers instead of turning up the heat
Indoor Air Pollution
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SBS- (sick building pollution): refers to a
situation where occupants of a building
experience health problems
 Symptoms:
headache, itchy & irritated eyes, throat &
nose; dizziness & nausea; fatigue, inability to
concentrate & sensitivity to odors.
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Lead Exposure- especially in children can cause
damage to the kidneys, liver, brain & nerves.
Asbestos- linked to lung cancer
Protecting Land & Water
1.
Recycle materials whenever possible to reduce the
amount of waste going to the landfills.
Dispose of all materials properly- oil paints, paint
solvents & batteries should not be put in the trash.
a. Don’t pour household chemicals or motor oil down the drain or
onto the ground, take these to collection sites.
2.
3.
Follow directions when using chemicals such as
cleaning products, fertilizers & pesticides—don’t
overuse them.
Reduce water usage– repair leaky faucets and follow
recommendations for landscape watering.
MEDICINE DISPOSAL
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1. Do not dispose by flushing down the toilet as
this can get into the groundwater.
2. For pills, transfer from the bottle to a covered
container or zip-top bag. Mix with old coffee
grounds or cayenne pepper to discourage
people or animals.
3. Transfer liquids into some cat litter, sand or
sawdust to solidify & seal carefully.
4. When tossing empty bottles black out
personal info.
BOZEMAN’S SOLID WASTE
DIVISION

Bozeman.net/waste/solid-waste.aspx
Gallatin Local Water Quality District
 Click on “Education:Brochures & Fact
Sheets”
gallatin.mt.gov/Public_Documents/gallatin
comt_wqd-pages/lwqd
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Noise Pollution

The harmful & unwanted sound of sufficient
intensity to damage hearing.
 Hearing
impairment rarely leads to total deafness,
however the hearing loss is permanent.

Decibel: unit used to express the relative
intensity of loudness of sound. Normal
conversation is 65 decibels
 Exposure
to noise levels of 85 decibels and above
can result in temporary hearing loss often
accompanied by ringing in the ears
NOISE INDUCED HEARING
LOSS
Attending noisy concerts & clubs
 Using firearms, loud tools & recreational
vehicles (snowmobiles & some
motorcycles)
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TRICKY PART IS THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW
OF DAMAGE EARLY ON - IT TAKES
MULTIPLE EXPOSURES & SOMETIMES
YEARS TO FIND OUT - 10-20 yrs.
Adolescent Hearing Loss
New study released Summer 10’
 1 in 5 adolescents have hearing loss
 Why? Rise in use of iPods – ear buds
 Full volume = 105 decibels
 Only use full volume 1 or 2 songs or else
risk hearing loss
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SIGN OF HEARING LOSS
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Leaving a loud venue with ringing ears after resting ears they might recover
partially but with repeated exposure
comes more damage to the hair cells in
the inner ear -the key to good hearing.
WHAT’S TOO LOUD?
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Prolonged exposure to sounds above 85 dB
30dB a whisper
50 dB sound of heavy rainfall
60 dB normal conversation
70 dB rush-hour traffic
90dB subway train; lawn mower
100 dB power saw; drill
115 dB sandblasting; loud rock concert
130 dB race car noise
What’s Too Loud - continued
140 dB jet engine
 150 dB fireworks
 170 dB shotgun blast
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iPods - damage to the inside of ears 15 minutes @
85 dB’s