SEC-S16 / W4 | "The Environment and Our Health"🌍👩‍⚕️

There is a tin line between our environment and our health. This is to say that our environment is closely related to our health. The way our environment is in most cases determine what our health conditions will be. This week's engagement challenge contest in @healthysteem we will help us to know how we are affected by our environment. The topic is The Environment and Our Health. Apart from life, our health is the next important thing to us and the environment plays a vital role in ensuring that we live a healthy life.

Let me now use the contest tips to explore more on this topic.

What do you understand by the Word "Environment"?

There are many times we use the word environment. In our homes, outside when discussing with our friends and colleagues but give little thought to it.

The word environment refers to our living space or surrounding where we live or inhabit. This is applicable whether it is a plant, animal or person.

It can also be extended to include the whole world in general or a particular area where activities of humans are felt.

So it is about everything we see around us, the people, trees, birds, plant, grasses, oceans and seas, mountains, forests, etc, all these make up our environment.

How do our surroundings impact our well-being?

A good environment contributes to good health of people, animal and plants. Each of all these things from our ecosystem is responsible for life sustenance on earth. When our environment is not good and healthy, every living thing is affected and will become unhealthy.

So a good and sound health devoid of persistent sickness and illness is brought about by a healthy and good surrounding or environment.

What are some ways pollution, like air or water pollution, can affect our health?

The air and water are life givers today. We breath in every day to sustain our lives. We take in Oxygen and give out Carbon IV Oxide (CO2), which the plants absorb, use it in the photosynthesis processes to produce the food we enjoy today, thus giving us the balance we need in the air.

But today, the air has been polluted such that we have less Oxygen, which the body require and more CO2.

This has contributed to a lot of health problems, for instance

° People exposed to pollution have more risk of heart and cardiovascular diseases.

° Increased rate of respiratory diseases

° it has brought about multiplicity in the rate of cancer spread.

° increased level of skin diseases.

Water too is vital and we cannot do without it in life. Its pollution can be disastrous for human health.

° water pollution can lead to increased risk of cancer .

° It can also be responsible for hormone disruption.

° It can have a damaging effect on the brain, altering brain function.

° It can be responsible for the damage of the immune and reproductive system

° Not to be forgotten is that it can also cause kidney and cardiovascular problems.

° Contaminated water can lead to increased chances of contracting Hepatitis.

etc.

What are some simple actions you take every day to promote environmental health?

There are many ways and actions to be taken to reduce environmental pollution. I will not be able to exhaust all of them but the following holds:

© There is need to reduce or possibly eliminate the use of plastic and even nylon bags, since they cannot decay. We should learn to recycle plastics whenever it is possible.

© Chemicals used at home should be properly disposed, their containers would be disposed well too.

© Our vehicles should be maintained to ensure that harmful substances like CO2 will not be emitted.

© Where possible, we should avoid the use of pesticides at home.

© Animal waste especially dogs and cats should be properly disposed to avoid contaminating our food.

© If possible we should dine more on vegetables grown without chemical fertilizers.

	my grown vegetable

© We should try and plant trees since it helps a lot with sanitizing the environment and ensuring clean oxygen in the atmosphere.

How can education and awareness play a role in promoting environmental health?

There is need to educate people generally about ways they can promote environmental health. They need to be taught of the need to use degradable materials like paper bags instead of nylons.

The Government needs to bring up a legislation forbidding the use of nylons and plastics. Both of these adds to the degradation of the environment.

There is need to also ensure that we minimize the use of pesticides and chemical as much as possible.

Instead of providing chemical fertilizers, poultry manure should be used to grow plants which helps the soil too.

Families should recycle materials and maintain a clean environment in their homes.

Planting of trees should be encouraged. So when building, create space for trees. It helps with a cleaner air and oxygen.

	the tree planted in my village compound
	the tree I planted in my compound

Conclusion

Our environment can make or mar our health. A clean environment contributes to a healthy living but the reverse is thee case if the environment is contaminated.

We all can contribute to a healthy living by maintaining a clean environment via our activities.

I will like @josepha @bossj23 @sahmie @uzma4882 and @irawandedy to take part. here