Environmental Issues That Cause Ill Health (Grade 11 NSC Matric Life Orientation): Revision Notes

Environmental Issues That Cause Ill Health

Environmental problems around us can seriously damage our health and wellbeing. In South Africa, we face many environmental challenges that can make people sick or even cause death. Understanding these issues helps us protect ourselves and our communities from harm.

Harmful substances in food production

The food we eat every day may contain dangerous chemicals and substances that harm our health. These substances are often added during farming, processing, and packaging to make food grow faster, last longer, or look more appealing. However, many of these chemicals can cause serious illness.

Common harmful substances in our food

Antibiotics are medicines given to farm animals to prevent disease and help them grow faster. When we eat meat or drink milk from these animals, we absorb small amounts of antibiotics. Over time, this makes antibiotics less effective when we actually need them to fight infections. This creates antibiotic resistance, making it harder to treat diseases.

Artificial hormones like rBST are injected into cows to increase milk production. These hormones can cause painful swelling in the cow's udder and may increase cancer risk in humans, particularly colon and breast cancer.

Animal by-products include parts of animals not normally eaten by humans, such as bones, hooves, and blood. These are often processed into animal feed, but can spread diseases like foot-and-mouth disease and mad cow disease between animals and potentially to humans.

Pesticides are chemicals used to kill insects, weeds, and germs that damage crops. Some toxic pesticides can build up in our body fat and make us ill. They can also contaminate drinking water when they wash off farmland into rivers and dams.

Food additives are chemicals used to preserve food and make it look more attractive. These include artificial colours (like Blue 2, Green 3), flavour enhancers, and preservatives. Some people are allergic to these additives, while others may experience breathing difficulties or attention problems when consumed in large amounts.

Plastics used in food packaging can release harmful chemicals into food and drinks. When not recycled properly, these plastics pollute the environment and can damage human health through chemical exposure.

Inhumane farming methods

Factory farming, also known as intensive farming, involves keeping large numbers of animals like pigs and chickens in very small, enclosed spaces. This cruel practice prioritises profit over animal welfare, leading to serious health and environmental problems.

Effects on animals and health

Animals in factory farms experience terrible living conditions. They never see sunlight, breathe fresh air, or move freely. Instead, they live in discomfort and frustration every day of their lives. These stressed animals are often diseased and require regular injections of antibiotics and growth hormones to survive.

The meat from these unhealthy animals poses health risks to consumers. The overuse of antibiotics in factory farming contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, making it harder to treat human infections.

Environmental and social impact

Factory farming causes significant environmental damage through the production of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The large amounts of grain and soya fed to factory-farmed animals could instead feed many more people directly, helping address food security issues.

Additionally, factory farming can lead to rural unemployment as small-scale farmers cannot compete with large industrial operations, putting traditional farming communities out of business.

Environmental degradation and health hazards

Environmental degradation refers to the damage or destruction of our natural environment. Human activities create various environmental hazards that directly threaten our health and wellbeing.

Soil erosion

Soil erosion occurs when wind and water remove fertile topsoil faster than it can naturally form. Once destroyed, soil takes many years to regenerate, making this a serious long-term problem.

Causes of soil erosion include:

• Overgrazing by too many animals in one area
• Deep ploughing that destroys soil structure
• Planting crops on slopes instead of following contour lines
• Deforestation, which removes tree roots that hold soil together

Health impacts: Soil erosion reduces the land's ability to grow healthy food, leading to food insecurity and malnutrition. Eroded soil can also contaminate water sources, making them unsafe to drink, and contribute to flooding that damages communities.

Pollution

Pollution makes our air, water, and land dirty and unsafe for human use. Different types of pollution cause various health problems.

Water pollution

Water becomes polluted when harmful substances contaminate rivers, lakes, dams, and groundwater supplies.

Sources of water pollution:

• Soil runoff carrying bacteria and viruses into water sources
• Industrial chemicals and heavy metals from factories and mines
• Untreated sewage containing disease-causing organisms
• Agricultural fertilisers and pesticides washing into water systems

Health effects: Polluted water can cause diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid fever, and other waterborne diseases. Heavy metals like lead and mercury are toxic and can cause serious health problems, especially in children.

Air pollution

Air pollution affects our breathing and can cause serious respiratory diseases like asthma and bronchitis. Children, elderly people, and those with existing heart and lung problems are particularly vulnerable.

Outdoor air pollution sources:

• Burning coal for energy, producing harmful gases
• Vehicle exhaust fumes containing carbon monoxide and other toxic substances
• Industrial processes releasing dangerous chemicals
• Smoke from fires and burning waste

Indoor air pollution can be even more dangerous than outdoor pollution because people spend most of their time inside. Burning coal indoors or working with harmful chemicals creates concentrated pollution that can cause lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory infections.

Land pollution

Land pollution damages the Earth's surface through improper waste disposal and harmful activities.

Causes include:

• Rubbish dumps that attract disease-carrying pests
• Mining operations that destroy landscapes and poison soil
• Urban development that reduces green spaces
• Poor sewage management leading to contaminated land

Other environmental hazards

Radiation: While most natural radiation is harmless, excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun can cause skin cancer. Damage to the ozone layer allows more harmful radiation to reach Earth, increasing health risks.

Floods are common environmental disasters that can destroy homes, contaminate water supplies, damage infrastructure, and spread waterborne diseases. Climate change is making floods more frequent and severe.

Fires can be caused by lightning, accidents, or human activities. They destroy homes and crops, kill people and animals, damage power supplies, and create dangerous smoke that affects air quality and visibility.

Wind damage from storms and hurricanes can cause severe property damage, uproot trees that may injure people, and disrupt essential services like electricity and transportation.

Loss of open space occurs when growing populations require more land for housing and development. This reduces green spaces needed for recreation and environmental health, while inadequate infrastructure leads to poor sanitation, pollution, and health problems.

Resource depletion and health impacts

Resource depletion happens when we use natural resources faster than they can be replaced naturally. This creates serious problems for human health and environmental sustainability.

Overfishing

Many communities depend on fishing for food security and income. However, overfishing removes so many adult fish from the ocean that not enough remain to breed and maintain fish populations.

Consequences of overfishing:

• Entire fish species can disappear permanently
• Marine ecosystems become damaged when fishing methods destroy coral reefs and sea plants
• Fishing communities lose their source of income and food
• People who rely on fish for protein may suffer from malnutrition

Deforestation for firewood

Many people depend on firewood for cooking and heating, especially in rural areas. However, cutting down too many trees creates multiple problems.

Effects of excessive tree cutting:

• Some tree species may become extinct
• Soil erosion increases without tree roots to hold soil in place
• People must travel further to find firewood, using valuable time and energy
• Animals and birds lose their natural habitats
• Climate change worsens because trees normally absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
• Invasive alien plants may take over cleared land, increasing fire and erosion risks

Land depletion

Poor farming practices can exhaust the land's ability to grow healthy crops.

Harmful practices include:

• Growing the same crops repeatedly without giving soil time to recover
• Allowing cattle to overgraze, removing protective plant cover
• Using excessive pesticides and fertilisers that poison the soil
• Converting farmland to buildings and industrial use

Solutions and alternatives

Despite these serious challenges, there are practical solutions that can help protect both human health and the environment. Communities across South Africa are developing innovative approaches to environmental problems.

Supporting sustainable farming practices, reducing waste, conserving water, and choosing environmentally friendly products are all ways individuals can help address these environmental health challenges.