Environmental health is fundamental for human health
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Dr N Munal Meitei
Environmental health is intertwined with human health, as clean air, water and stable ecosystems are essential for survival. Environmental factors, including pollution, climate change and habitat loss, cause nearly 25% of global deaths and diseases. Protecting the environment directly reduces health risks, preven- ting diseases and infections.
World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April to mark WHO’s founding since 1950. The theme for 2026 is “Together for health. Stand with science”. The theme, focusing on the “One Health” approach to protect the health of people, animals, plants and the planet through scientific collaboration.
More than half of human infectious diseases are impacted by climate change, including rising temperature and weather extremes. The changing economy confronting with the frequent global ongoing wars is a challenge to the environmental health.
The research to discuss the present understanding of the association between environmental toxins and human health is bridging this knowledge gap. The genesis and the impact of various environmental pollutants on the human body’s cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, prenatal and neural health are discussed in this overview.
According to the World Health Organization, due to environmental conditions, caused about 24% of the world’s deaths. Air pollution causes over 6.5 million deaths annually. Exposure to arsenic, lead and pesticides causes cancers and neuro developmental issues. Poor housing quality, lack of sanitation and crowded conditions create significant health hazards.
Environmental health focuses on how our physical, chemical and biological surroundings affect our well- being. It operates on the core principle that human health is inextricably linked to the health of the environment. When the air, water and soil are degraded, human health suffers through increased disease, reduced quality of life and shortened life expectancy.
Regular contact with nature and green spaces is proven to reduce stress, anxietyand depression while improving cognitive function. Populations living in greener, less polluted areas generally have higher life expectancies.
Environmental health is not just about protecting nature; it is a critical investment in human health and long-term quality of life. Health depends on quality food, safe drinking water and adequate shelter. This relationship is indispensable by the fact that our surroundings, including physi- cal, chemical, biological, social and psychological factors, directly impact the human health for the present and future.
Climate change is taking away our right to breathe clean air and pollution is claiming a life for every 5 seconds. Unmanaged water triggers epidemics and numerous diseases. By disrup- ting the delicate ecological balance that regulates our planet’s air, water and nutrient cycles, we risk the entire food chain and human health. Agriculture pesticides that enhance food production have affected both the farm workers and all of us who consume it. Modern medicine promised to solve many health problems but induce numerous side-effects and resistant strains changing their behavior confusing us in creating newer antibiotics.
Every breath we take, every sip of water we drink, connects us to the natural world. A clean environment is essential for human health and well-being. However, the interactions between the health and environment are highly complex and difficult to assess. The best-known health impacts are attributed from climate change, unsafe water and sanitation, vector-borne diseases, ambient air & indoor pollution, loss of biodiversity and environmental challenges. Deple- tion of ozone layer also impacted on global climate and human health, increasing the amount of UV radiation reaching the Earth.
Unsafe water or insufficient hygiene result in 3.5 million deaths worldwide, representing 25% of the deaths of children below 14 years. WHO cautions, 250,000 additional deaths could potentially occur each year between 2030 and 2050 as a result of climate change. Environmental degradation is estimated to cause 174–234 times as many premature deaths as occur in conflicts annually.
In India, one in every fifth child under age of 5 die due to diarrhea. Heat waves also cause illness and death to elderly persons who are having heart or respiratory diseases. Thus, environmental hazards kill thousands in the country every year.
Human health and the environment are closely intertwined, influencing each other. Therefore, we need to count this inter-connection and need to change our daily habits that impact the health of the planet.
Environmental health is intertwined with human health, as clean air, water and stable ecosystems are essential for survival. Environmental factors, including pollution, climate change and habitat loss, cause nearly 25% of global deaths and diseases. Protecting the environment directly reduces health risks, preven- ting diseases and infections.
World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April to mark WHO’s founding since 1950. The theme for 2026 is “Together for health. Stand with science”. The theme, focusing on the “One Health” approach to protect the health of people, animals, plants and the planet through scientific collaboration.
More than half of human infectious diseases are impacted by climate change, including rising temperature and weather extremes. The changing economy confronting with the frequent global ongoing wars is a challenge to the environmental health.
The research to discuss the present understanding of the association between environmental toxins and human health is bridging this knowledge gap. The genesis and the impact of various environmental pollutants on the human body’s cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, prenatal and neural health are discussed in this overview.
According to the World Health Organization, due to environmental conditions, caused about 24% of the world’s deaths. Air pollution causes over 6.5 million deaths annually. Exposure to arsenic, lead and pesticides causes cancers and neuro developmental issues. Poor housing quality, lack of sanitation and crowded conditions create significant health hazards.
Environmental health focuses on how our physical, chemical and biological surroundings affect our well- being. It operates on the core principle that human health is inextricably linked to the health of the environment. When the air, water and soil are degraded, human health suffers through increased disease, reduced quality of life and shortened life expectancy.
Regular contact with nature and green spaces is proven to reduce stress, anxietyand depression while improving cognitive function. Populations living in greener, less polluted areas generally have higher life expectancies.
Environmental health is not just about protecting nature; it is a critical investment in human health and long-term quality of life. Health depends on quality food, safe drinking water and adequate shelter. This relationship is indispensable by the fact that our surroundings, including physi- cal, chemical, biological, social and psychological factors, directly impact the human health for the present and future.
Climate change is taking away our right to breathe clean air and pollution is claiming a life for every 5 seconds. Unmanaged water triggers epidemics and numerous diseases. By disrup- ting the delicate ecological balance that regulates our planet’s air, water and nutrient cycles, we risk the entire food chain and human health. Agriculture pesticides that enhance food production have affected both the farm workers and all of us who consume it. Modern medicine promised to solve many health problems but induce numerous side-effects and resistant strains changing their behavior confusing us in creating newer antibiotics.
Every breath we take, every sip of water we drink, connects us to the natural world. A clean environment is essential for human health and well-being. However, the interactions between the health and environment are highly complex and difficult to assess. The best-known health impacts are attributed from climate change, unsafe water and sanitation, vector-borne diseases, ambient air & indoor pollution, loss of biodiversity and environmental challenges. Deple- tion of ozone layer also impacted on global climate and human health, increasing the amount of UV radiation reaching the Earth.
Unsafe water or insufficient hygiene result in 3.5 million deaths worldwide, representing 25% of the deaths of children below 14 years. WHO cautions, 250,000 additional deaths could potentially occur each year between 2030 and 2050 as a result of climate change. Environmental degradation is estimated to cause 174–234 times as many premature deaths as occur in conflicts annually.
In India, one in every fifth child under age of 5 die due to diarrhea. Heat waves also cause illness and death to elderly persons who are having heart or respiratory diseases. Thus, environmental hazards kill thousands in the country every year.
Human health and the environment are closely intertwined, influencing each other. Therefore, we need to count this inter-connection and need to change our daily habits that impact the health of the planet.