In 2018, the environment is a concern that most people have. We worry that there will be no planet left for our children’s children. We wonder whether landfill waste is poisoning the planet from the inside out. We stress about the fact our oceans are drowning in plastic. We panic about our future as a species. That’s why so many people are now choosing to lead greener and more eco-friendly lives with the hope of becoming a more sustainable planet.

Something that a lot of people are not clear on when it comes to the environment and sustainable living is the fact that these issues are a human health problem. While we are aware that by not leading more eco-friendly lives we are damaging our planet, what a lot of people aren’t taking seriously is the fact that we are also putting our health at risk.

It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? The fact that our actions as a society are putting our health at risk and so few people are choosing to do anything about it. Don’t be one of those people who don’t make changes, if you are serious about taking care of your health; it’s crucial that you opt to understand the link between eco-friendly living and human health better.

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Want to better understand how health and environmental factors link? Then read on, for everything that you need to know about how a lack of green living could be harming your health.

How can the environment harm our health?

Eating fish from polluted oceans can be serious:

It’s no secret that our oceans are heavily polluted with plastic. Every month on the news we see whale carcasses cut open to reveal stomachs full of plastic, turtles with plastic wrapped around their necks, and fish with microbeads in their bellies. We know that the fish on this planet are, quite literally, swimming in plastic.

The issue with this is that most plastics are full of pollutants and chemicals. This means that not only are our oceans becoming polluted but so are our fish. Each year, as much as 12.7 metric tons of plastic end up in the sea each year, which means that by 2050 our seas could contain more plastic than fish.

Studies have shown that as algae grow on plastic particles in the sea, fish are consuming them. While this plastic remains in their stomachs, there’s a concern that the chemicals from the plastic may migrate into the flesh of the fish, and thus, onto our plates. Did you know that around one in four fish sold by fishmongers have plastic particles in their stomachs?

The fact is that while we could stop eating fish, that wouldn’t fix the problem. What actually needs to happen is a change in how the entire planet uses plastics and disposes of them. Across the globe, single-use plastics are slowly being banned, with disposable drinks cups and straws being the first to go, but is it enough?

Breathing ‘dirty’ air has an impact:

There’s a common misconception that polluted air only has an impact on people with respiratory problems, such as asthma. However, that isn’t the case - breathing dirty air can impact human health in a series of ways and even healthy people can experience adverse health impacts by breathing in air that is heavily polluted.

Usually, the most polluted air is found in towns and cities. However, that isn’t always the case. Various studies are being performed across the globe to assess where the worst places are for polluted air, for instance, recently air quality experts have been measuring air quality in Africa to determine how polluted the country’s air actually is.

When breathing in highly polluted air, there’s a risk of immediate health problems; these include aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, stress placed on the heart and lungs which makes your body work harder to supply them with adequate amounts of oxygen, and damaged cells within the respiratory tract.

There’s also the risk of long-term effects of breathing in this air, these include accelerated aging of the lungs, decreased lung function and loss of lung capacity, and development of diseases like asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and potentially cancer, leading to a shortened lifespan.

While air quality can impact everyone, there are certain people who are more prone to these issues. These include people with other health problems, such as heart disease or asthma, pregnant women, older adults, young children, athletes who exercise a lot, and outdoor workers.

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Eating meat and vegetables that have been polluted can impact your health:

What is food pollution? Food pollution is the presence of chemicals or toxins in the food that we eat. How does pollution enter our food chain? There are numerous causes of food pollution - from polluted air and soil to grass and water that has been polluted; food can get polluted far too easily.

For instance, fruit and vegetables can be grown in polluted soil or watered with contaminated groundwater; they can also be grown in areas with polluted air. Of course, there’s also the fact that many foods are sprayed with pollutants to increase their growth and keep pests off of them. There’s also the concern that some fertilizers may contain ash from power plants, and that animals may concern food sources that are polluted, as mentioned with fish above.

Studies have shown that the risk posed by pollutants in food varies depending on the type of pollutant.

So, for example, while any pollutant found in a food source poses a health risk, the pollutants that are most dangerous are bioaccumulative, which means that they accumulate in food over time, resulting in much higher results of the pollutant.

Another example is hormones in foods. Studies have shown that certain hormones can be linked to cancer in humans, such as the artificial hormone rBGH that is used to increase a cow’s milk supply has been linked to certain cancers in humans.

Then there’s the type of food to consider. Fish, is one of the most dangerous foods to eat, due to the fact that they are potentially exposed to a much higher variety of contaminants, and the accumulation in their flesh could be extremely high. Any bird or animal that consumes fish may be contaminated themselves, moving these pollutants further down the food chain.

Household contaminants can have an impact:

There’s no getting away from the fact that indoor air quality is also a serious health concern and one that we should be taking far more seriously. There’s a common misconception that inside our homes, we are safe from pollution. However, that is not the case - even our homes are polluted with contaminants. Where do these come from? They come from how we cook our food to the cleaning chemicals that we use - you may not realize it, but your home could be heavily polluted.

The issue with these types of contaminants is the fact that the health impact does not always show up immediately. Sometimes it does, but other times it shows up years later instead, in the form of diseases like cancer.

Did you know that chemical sources can be found in a wide range of sources in the home? From adhesives, sealants, and paints to carpeting, fabric materials and air fresheners and other scented home products. Household cleaning products are also a serious source of household pollution.

What can we do to give ourselves a better chance of leading healthier lives?

Although the concept that we are living in a world that is heavily polluted is a scary one, it’s important to realize that there are steps we can take to decrease the long-term impact on our health.

• Be more mindful of what foods you consume. Wherever possible, choose to eat only organic, hormone-free foods and drink milk that is organic (whether that’s dairy milk, nut milk, or soy milk, ensure it’s organic).
• Clean with more natural products. Today, there are plenty of all-natural cleaning products that are pollutant-free - so choose these to help prevent your home from becoming contaminated due to your cleaning products. A great investment to make, if you don’t already have one, is a steam mop, because these use just water - no chemicals - to clean and are highly effective.
• Recycle everything that we can do. Never put recyclables into your normal waste bin - make sure to recycle them to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills each year. Don’t use single-use plastic. To help prevent more plastic ending up in the sea, make sure to stop using single-use plastic immediately.

The fact is that the environmental impact of failing to lead a green life is serious and can have a significant impact on human health. As a society, if we want to ensure that our planet and the people on it survive, we need to take steps to do more to lead healthier and more eco-friendly lives. We need to stop polluting our world and find safe alternatives to the things that are causing these issues.