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  Global environmental change
 
(A WHO report on global environmental hazards to human health)
 
Large-scale and global environmental hazards to human health include climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, loss of biodiversity, changes in hydrological systems and the supplies of freshwater, land degradation and stresses on food-producing systems. Appreciation of this scale and type of influence on human health requires a new perspective which focuses on ecosystems and on the recognition that the foundations of long-term good health in populations rely in great part on the continued stability and functioning of the biosphere's life-supporting systems. It also brings an appreciation of the complexity of the systems upon which we depend. 

       Ecosystem and human health
    Climate change and health
  
Climate change has a range of complex interlinkages with health. These include direct impacts, such as temperature- related illness and death; the health impacts of extreme weather events; the effect of air pollution in the form of spores and moulds. Other impacts follow more intricate pathways such as those that give rise to  water- and food-borne diseases; vector- borne and rodent-borne diseases; or food and water shortages. Climate change impacts will not be evenly distributed around the world. Some regions are expected to fare worse than others. Small Island States, are amongst the most vulnerable. 
   Many other developing countries are also not prepared for potential environmental impacts, and even less for health- related impacts. WHO is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in a new project to pilot approaches to protect health under a changing and more variable climate, funded by the Global Environment Facility.
  
Ecosystems and health
  There is growing concern amongst many natural scientists that human interventions are altering the capacity of ecosystems to provide their goods (e.g. freshwater, food, pharmaceutical products, etc)and services (e.g. purification of air, water, soil, sequestration of pollutants, etc). Ecosystem disruption can impact on health in a variety of ways and through complex pathways. These are moreover modified by a local populations current vulnerability and their future capacity to implement adaptation measures. The links between ecosystem change and human health are seen most clearly among impoverished communities, who lack the buffers that more affluent communities can afford.      

 

  Lead poisoning
  Lead is present in products used for everyday life.It was used in paints until 1970. In petrol, it is used as tetraethyl lead. It is commonly found in ceiling dust at home. People working in industries using lead in any form are exposed to it. It is found in solder and ceramic glaze. At home, it is found in TV sets, computer monitors, cosmetics like lipsticks, nail polish and even in bindis.
  Most paint products cause lead poisoning.Lead poisoning is also called "plumbism". This is because of the ill-effect of lead and lead-containing materials on various organs. Lead has no beneficial effects and children and women are most vulnerable. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1.2 crore people are overexposed to lead and 99% of the most serious cases are in the developing world.
  Lead gets absorbed through lungs, intestine and skin. It gets accumulated in red blood cells (RBCs) and other organs. Lead enters the foetus from the mothers? blood. Once it gets accumulated in the brain, it cannot be removed. Lead is also stored in bones for a long period. Lead especially affects the nervous system and kidneys. In children,
lead decreases IQ and in adults, causes kidney-, muscle- and nerve-related disorders. 

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