The environment directly affects health status and plays a major role in quality of life, years of healthy life lived, and health disparities. Poor air quality is linked to premature death, cancer, and long-term damage to respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Secondhand smoke containing toxic and cancer-causing chemicals contributes to heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults. Globally, nearly 25% of all deaths and the total disease burden can be attributed to environmental factors.
Poor environmental quality has its greatest impact on people whose health status is already at risk. In 2016, 1 in 12 children and 1 in 12 adults in the United States had asthma, which is caused, triggered, and exacerbated by environmental factors such as
air pollution and secondhand smoke.
Yet:
● In 2016, approximately 122.5 million people in the United States lived in counties
that exceeded 1 or more national ambient air quality standards.
● During 2011-2012, about 58 million nonsmokers in the U.S. were exposed to
secondhand smoke.
Environmental quality factors
The following are examples of factors that have the potential to affect the quality of an environment:
● Noise
● Traffic/congestion
● Graffiti/vandalism
● Litter
● Maintenance
● Availability of green spaces
● Distance from essential amenities
If certain factors are prevalent, the environmental quality of an area may be compromised. By contrast, some of the factors can encourage a higher environmental quality. A failure to maintain buildings and infrastructure can lead to environmental issues associated with dereliction. To maintain a high environmental quality here, it is important to regularly maintain infrastructure and/or the environment, which can be supported through increasing funding and through the mobilization of volunteer groups to help out.