environmental medicine

environmental medicine, medical science involving the study of the relationship between human health and biological, chemical, and physical factors in the environment.

The modern field of environmental medicine originated sometime around the mid-20th century, when possible links between environmental factors and human disease gained increased recognition. In subsequent decades the field was broadened to encompass preventive aspects and environmental health surveillance (biomonitoring). The adverse effects of environmental factors on human health are major concerns worldwide, with heightened awareness having emerged from events such as the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and from increased knowledge of the potential for harm associated with exposure to industrial emissions and wastes. Environmental medicine intersects with a number of other fields, among them epidemiology, toxicology, ecology, tropical medicine, and occupational medicine.

Environmentally triggered illnesses in humans arise when normal biological functions become compromised by stressors. Stressors may be internal or external factors, and illness attributed to them may be due to various types of exposure, such as acute exposure or low-grade but long-term cumulative exposure. The degree to which an individual is affected is influenced by multiple variables, including genetics, nutrition, and exposure level. Examples of environmental factors known to affect human health are organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, other synthetic chemicals in the environment, certain naturally occurring substances, household chemicals, and workplace contaminants. Pesticides have been of particular concern, since they can persist in the environment and are used widely worldwide.

In addition to influencing the care of individuals who have suffered ill effects from exposure to harmful substances in the environment, environmental medicine also has key relationships with other fields, particularly public health, occupational medicine, and toxicology. In the arena of public health, environmental medicine has an influential role in education, especially concerning means of prevention. In the area of occupational medicine, environmental medicine can be used to help employers and employees better understand how to maintain a safe and healthy workplace. Information from toxicology plays a central role in assessing the potential harm of natural or synthetic chemicals found in the environment.

Environmental medicine has also been aided by advances in genetics and cell biology. Developments in these areas have been important particularly where the understanding of how chemicals interact with genes and other cellular components is concerned.