environmental health- sample

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Environmental Health

Environmental Health is concerned with preventing illness through managing theenvironment and by changing people's behavior to reduce exposure to biological and

non-biological agents of disease and injury. It is concerned primarily with effects of theenvironment to the health of the people.

Program strategies and activities are focused on environmental sanitation, environmentalhealth impact assessment and occupational health through inter-agency collaboration. An

Inter-Agency COmmittee on Environmental Health was created by virute of E.O. 489 to

facilitate and improve coordination among concerned agencies. It provides the venue fortechnical collaboration, effective monitoring and communication, resource mobilization,

policy review and development. The Committee has five sectoral task forces on water,

solid waste, air, toxic and chemical substances and occupational health.

Vision:

Health Settings for All Filipinos

Mission:

Provide leadership in ensuring health settings

Goals:

Reduction of environmental and occupational related diseases, disabilities and deaths

through health promotion and mitigation of hazards and risks in the environment andworksplaces.

Strategic Objectives:

1. Development of evidence-based policies, guidelines, standards, programs and

parameters for specific healthy settings.

2. Provision of technical assistance to implementers and other relevant partners

3. Strengthening inter-sectoral collaboration and broad based mass participation for the

promotion and attainment of healthy settings

Key Result Areas:

Appropriate development and regular evaluation of relevant programs, projects,

policies and plans on environmental and occupational health

Timely provision of technical assistance to Centers for Health Development

(CHDs) and other partners


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Development of responsive/relevant legislative and research agenda on DPC

Timely provision of technical inputs to curriculum development and conduct of

human resource development

Timely provision of technically sound advice to the Secretary and other

stakeholders

Timely and adequate provision of strategic logistics

Components:

Inter- agency Committee on Environmental Health

IACEH Task Force on Water

IACEH Task Force on Solid Waste

IACEH Task Force on Toxic Chemicals

IACEH Task Force on Occupational Health

Environmental Sanitation

Environmental Health Impact Assessment

Occupational Health

From: http://www.doh.gov.ph/programs/environmental_health

Example of environmental health study and assessment:

2. Health Profile of Corporate Mineworkers and Communities LivingNear Corporate Gold Mining Operations in Mankayan, Benguet

(Final report of an environmental and occupational health hazard assessment)

This study focused on the health profile of corporate mineworkers and residents of

communities adjacent to the large-scale gold mining operations of the Lepanto

Consolidated Mining Company (LCMCo or Lepanto) in the municipality of Mankayan ,Benguet Province . The research has two components, namely, environmental health

hazard assessment and occupational health hazard assessment. The first focused on the

residents of three communities, looking at the routes of exposure to mine drainage among

the residents as well as the most prevalent symptoms reported in relation to this exposure.This part revealed that residents in the community nearest Lepanto's Mill Outlet exhibited

more health symptoms, and that the differences in the prevalence of symptoms betweenthis community and the others were significant. This result is associated to the fact thatelevated levels of cyanide, lead, and mercury were found in the water samples at the

company's mill outlets and tailings dams.
http://www.doh.gov.ph/programs/environmental_healthhttp://www.doh.gov.ph/programs/environmental_health


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A second phase to the first focus involved the analysis and comparison of blood samples

from residents who were exposed to mine drainage with controls living downstream who

had little or no exposure to mine drainage. This study showed a positive linear correlationbetween the hours of exposure to mine drainage and the subjects' hemoglobin, blood

cyanide and lead levels. Statistically significant differences in the blood levels of copper,

cyanide and lead between the subjects and controls were also found. The subjects hadhigher levels of these chemicals in their blood as compared to the controls. On the other

hand, the subjects had lower levels of serum creatinine compared to the controls. These

blood test results indicate the possible chemicals responsible for the symptoms originallyreported in the preliminary phase. Cyanide is pinpointed as possibly playing a prominent

role.

The research's second focus, i.e., the assessment of the occupational health hazard among

the corporate mineworkers, found out, in turn, that the most prevalent injuries were

lacerations (43.18%), crushing injuries (17.05%), bruises (14.77%) and fractures(13.64%) usually involving rock or timber fall. Twenty percent (20%) of these cases

required hospitalization. Most prevalent among the work-associated symptoms reportedwere: phlegm production (79.55%), joint pain (78.41%), eye irritation (67.05%),

headache (55.68%), dyspnea (48.86%) and dizziness (36.36%). Most prevalent abnormal

physical findings were hypertension (28.41%) and perforated eardrum (19.32%).

Keywords: mining effects, corporate/ large-scale mining, environmental health,

occupational health, cyanide

Author:

ANA MARIE R. LEUNG, MD.: Chairperson, Department of Preventive and Community

Medicine, Saint Louis University ; graduated from the University of the PhilippinesCollege of Medicine (1993).

From: THE NORTHERN LUZON RESEARCH JOURNAL

ISSN 1908-5990

VOLUME 1 (JANUARY 2007)

http://www.slu.edu.ph/publications/nlrj/vol1.jsp
http://www.slu.edu.ph/publications/nlrj/vol1.jsphttp://www.slu.edu.ph/publications/nlrj/vol1.jsp


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Suggested sites (for outlining & supplement):

http://www.itnphil.org.ph/products/research/sanluisresearch.html

http://static.stii.dost.gov.ph/sntpost/frames/jun2k2/pg13.htm

www.philexport.ph/EUREPGAP/PRESENTATIONS_REPORTS/Dr%20Lynn

%20Panganiban%20PPT.ppt

See http://www.phmovement.org/pha2/papers/paperswednesday.php

-- ppt. presentation of impact of mining industry on health

By Dr. Leung
http://www.itnphil.org.ph/products/research/sanluisresearch.htmlhttp://static.stii.dost.gov.ph/sntpost/frames/jun2k2/pg13.htmhttp://www.philexport.ph/EUREPGAP/PRESENTATIONS_REPORTS/Dr%20Lynn%20Panganiban%20PPT.ppthttp://www.philexport.ph/EUREPGAP/PRESENTATIONS_REPORTS/Dr%20Lynn%20Panganiban%20PPT.ppthttp://www.phmovement.org/pha2/papers/paperswednesday.phphttp://www.itnphil.org.ph/products/research/sanluisresearch.htmlhttp://static.stii.dost.gov.ph/sntpost/frames/jun2k2/pg13.htmhttp://www.philexport.ph/EUREPGAP/PRESENTATIONS_REPORTS/Dr%20Lynn%20Panganiban%20PPT.ppthttp://www.philexport.ph/EUREPGAP/PRESENTATIONS_REPORTS/Dr%20Lynn%20Panganiban%20PPT.ppthttp://www.phmovement.org/pha2/papers/paperswednesday.php

environmental health- sample

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