HEALTH and ENVIRONMENT
A recent report from the office of the Secretary General of the United Nations (March 2000) pointed out that "the health and environmental consequences of energy production and utilization have become major challenges" to sustainable development.
Burning fuel to produce energy releases heat plus varying amounts of combustion by-products including carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and carbon monoxide (CO). Inefficient combustion may also release volatile organic compounds, including the carcinogen benzene. The mix of pollutants, including ground-level ozone, is often called smog.
Very small pieces of ash and unburned fuel, known as particulate matter, are also by-products of combustion. Because of their size, measured in tiny fractions of a millimetre, these particles are difficult to capture before they leave a car tailpipe or smokestack. They float in the air and are breathed deep into the respiratory system, where they can irritate tissue and may cause cancer.
The chart below shows the growing incidence of death linked to chronic respiratory disease in Canada over a similar period.
The evidence connecting increased energy use and a greater incidence of respiratory disease is largely circumstantial. However, as a World Health Organization literature review and the Student Lung Health Study indicate, there is a substantial portion of the population that is sensitive to the types of pollutants created by the energy consumption.
Substances Released During Energy Use
Health and Environment Cause-Effect
The chart on the left illustrates that the amount of energy used each year in Canada continues to increase.
Source: Health Canada
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The World Health Organization has reviewed many of the factors that link the use of natural resources like fossil fuels to human health using the example of severe respiratory infections.
It concludes that these illnesses can occur in a particular individual for one or a combination of varied reasons including:
- National and local energy, agricultural and housing policies.
- Household finances.
- Indoor and outdoor air quality.
- Nutrition.
- Exposure to dust particles and irritants from one or more sources (total human exposure)
Among other questions, the students were asked to identify triggers that brought on asthma attacks. The responses (below) illustrate the variety of factors that need to be addressed to reduce the incidence of asthma.
Studies from different parts of the world conclude that improving human health, as it relates to the environment, must be tackled from a challenging combination of physical, social, spiritual, economic and political perspectives. (Satterthwaite et al 1996)
Childhood Asthma; Findings of the Student Lung Health Survey 1995-1996
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