How the Environment Affects a Person's Life

The environment consists of everything that makes up your surroundings. Your environment affects all of your senses and includes the air you breathe, air temperature, your water supply, the sounds you hear, the foods you eat and the materials you touch. Everything in the environment can affect how you feel and your overall health. Some environmental factors can cause serious health problems and in some cases, death.

Physical Hazards

• Environmental noise, UV rays and radiation are just a few physical hazards in the environment that can cause damage to the body. Excessive noise can lead to hearing loss while UV rays are known to cause skin cancer. Temperature changes can also greatly affect a person's health. When the temperature is too high, a person can suffer from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration and heat rash. Conversely, extremely cold temperatures reduce blood flow to a person's skin, which can result in in frostbite and hypothermia.

Biological Hazards

• Biological hazards in the environment can also pose a serious threat to human health. Weeds, pollen, animal dander and many types of foods can cause allergies and severe allergic reactions. Viruses can also be airborne. Bacteria in water and food supplies can cause serious health problems or even death. Farmers often use herbicides and pesticides which gets into groundwater. Contaminated drinking water is known to cause mutations in babies, changes in sex organs and fertility problems.

Chemical Hazards

• Chemical agents found in the air cause major health problems. Common pollutants are nitrogen oxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. These substances are commonly the byproducts of manufacturing, energy production and transportation. These substances produce smog and cause lung disease, asthma and reduced immunity, leaving people susceptible to infectious disease. Smoking is also a common pollutant that causes disease. Many heavy metals found in industrial waste, such as arsenic and mercury, cause cancer and other diseases. Even at low doses, many environmental pollutants such as lead, which is found in paint, water pipes and gasoline, can cause neurological problems.

Mechanical Hazards

• Machinery and its various parts, objects, tools and materials that are processed or used in work processes are a source of hazards to human health. Many machines used in the workplace lead to injuries and even death in some cases. Electric machinery and power supply systems create serious electrical hazards, resulting in serious accidents. Many workplaces can pose a risk to employee health with hazards that cause slips, falls, cuts and burns.