Although the environment has a great impact on a person's health, our awareness and attention to it is minimal. One of the main reasons for this is that we are now  focused on a person's health on the individual basis. We are convinced that a person's health depends on his / her behavior, diet, lifestyle and decisions and that it is his / her responsibility to stay healthy. But in fact a person's health is  greatly affected by his / her social environment as well as physical environment. 

Our natural environment provides essential things like air, water and food, which we need to sustain our lives. Deterioration in the quality of any of these components negatively affects our health and quality of life as well as our life expectancy. Pollution is, in fact, one of the major factors affecting our well-being and quality of life. This requires collective intervention as the effects are beyond the control of an individual. 

Not only the physical environment but also the social environment is a factor that is difficult for an individual to control and can have a huge impact on a person’s health. In this article I intend to address how the physical environment affects a person’s health as well as all mankind, the importance of protecting the environment and how to contribute to it.

Let us first look at how our physical environment affects our lives

The environment contributes to reducing or increasing a person's stress. Extreme heat, high noise or noise can increase stress. There is a direct link between stress and physical health. As our brain, nervous system, immune system, and endocrine system interact with each other, our body's biochemistry and metabolism change as we think and feel. This can lead to conditions such as high blood pressure, muscle cramps and headaches, as well as frequent illnesses due to weakened immunity. That is how living in an environment that makes us uncomfortable, negatively affects our health and quality of life.

Air pollution is another factor that directly affects our health. Numerous studies have been conducted on the risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and death from exposure to various solid particles and droplets in the air. A review of studies from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s found an inverse relationship between airborne particulate matter and birth weight in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. Another important study explained the relationship between exposure to Lead particles and children's cognitive processes. According to the research, exposure to Lead particles can lead to a decrease in children's intelligence and a negative impact on their academic performance. Furthermore, it has been found that increased exposure to Lead particles may be associated with neuropsychiatric disorders in children such as ADHD. This shows that exposure to lead particles is not good for children at all.

Ozone depletion is another consequence of air pollution. The ozone layer protects us from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Ozone depletion causes the sun's ultraviolet rays to reach the earth directly, interfering with the photosynthesis of plants and planktons.  It can break the food chain. It also directly affects the health of people such as causing skin cancer and cataracts.

Some people burn home garbage that includes plastic and polythene. Contaminants produced by burning garbage  are added to the air close to ground level so that they can be easily inhaled. 

Among the pollutants released here are carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in large quantities. The most toxic chemicals in smoke are benzene, styrene, formaldehyde, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD or "dioxin"), polychlorinated dioxins (PCDF or "furanes"), and small amounts of heavy metals such as Lead, Mercury and Arsenic may also be present.

Chemicals such as dioxin, which are highly toxic, are released, especially during plastic burning. Dioxins can stick to the surface of waxy leaves and enter the food chain. Unburned plastic and polythene parts contaminate the soil as well as rivers, streams and creeks. Animals that eat these get sick. This contaminant also harms the environment as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

How often do we use disinfectants, detergents, shampoos, soaps, and detergents at home? Have you ever wondered where these add up? These cleansing agents, which we have been accustomed to using for many years, accumulate in the natural environment. It also causes groundwater contamination and soil contamination. They can even be absorbed into  the vegetables and fruits plants we grow in our garden. So it is not surprising that there is an increase in non-communicable diseases such as cancer today. In the past, people used to clean their houses using salt water, turmeric water and cilantro water. We can also make disinfectants at home using this natural substance.

The effluent that  accumulates in the rivers eventually accumulates in the ocean. Marine pollution affects not only marine fauna & flora but also the humankind. Did you know that toxins that are released into the ocean by waste are returned to humans through the food chains? 

It has now been found that heavy metals are accumulated in the bodies of  big fish such as Tuna, swordfish, Sailfish  and Marlin. Plastic particles and other toxic chemicals are concentrated in the bodies of small fish.

 Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a chemical  found in some plastics. It has been proven to be a carcinogen. BPA is another toxin found in packaging materials and plastic bottles. Prolonged exposure to these toxins in humans can lead to serious health problems such as hormonal problems, reproductive system problems, as well as damage to the nervous system and kidneys.

Avoid adding too much fish to your diet. As responsible citizens, we must learn to manage our waste properly, and we as a society must call on the government to remove barriers and introduce an effective waste management program. We should try to minimize the use of plastic as much as possible.

Environmental pollution and climate change are affecting biodiversity and can affect agriculture. Damage to biodiversity also increases the spread of infectious diseases, depletes resources, impairs development, lowers living standards, and impedes the production of drugs for various diseases. The flora of the oceans maintain the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, and when biodiversity is damaged, this ratio in the atmosphere can become imbalance and threaten life on Earth.

The environment affects our health more than we think. We should protect our environment by acting as responsible citizens. Clean environment  can increase the life expectancy of us as well as our children and their quality of life.