Man and Environment

Man & Environment

Define the terms environment & environmental health . List & describe types of environment . Describe relations between environment & human.
Learning objectives


The environment is all external conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding and affecting the growth and development of an organism or community of organisms.
In other wards, it includes all the external factors living and non-living , material and non-material which surround man.


“All that which is external to individual human host. [It] can be divided into physical, biological, social cultural any or all of which can influence health status in populations.” (WHO, 1995)

Types of Environment

I. The Physical environment It is also known as a-biotic environment and natural environment. Is the environment which includes non living or physical things which are constitutes of soil and affect the living things. It also includes the climatic factors such as sunbeams, rainwater, precipitation, moisture, pressure and wind speed.


Importance of Physical Environment For the residential for living beings (land area). Provide necessary nutrients element for the living beings ( soil, water and air) . Controls the climatic factors like weather. Provides different types of minerals which are very necessary for growth of life
Types of Environment



II. Biotic environment It is also known as biological environment and organic environment. Is the environment which involves the living part of the earth. It includes the plants, trees, animals, mammals, underwater living beings including human beings and microorganisms like bacteria and fungi.
Types of Environment

Types of Environment

Types of Environment
III. Social or cultural environment It involves the culture and life style of the human beings. The environment which is created by the man through his different social and cultural activities and thinking. The historical, cultural, political, moral, economic aspects of human life constitute to the social or cultural environment.

Types of Environment

Importance of Social or Cultural Environment Involves different types of people, they have different religion, different thinking, which has culture of its own and posses people having their own life style. Affects the social culture of human beings and hence it has the great importance. Affects child development, as it is highly depends upon culture and society.


Environmental health Is the study and management of environmental conditions that affect the health and well-being of humans.
‘…comprises those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by physical, biological, social and psychosocial factors in the environment. It also, refers to the theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors in the environment that can potentially affect adversely the health of present and future generations’ (WHO, 1993a)

Environment (Physical, biological and social)

Human activities Health of individual



Environmental health services are defined by the World Health Organization as:“ Those services which implement environmental health policies through monitoring and control activities. They also carry out that role by promoting the improvement of environmental parameters and by encouraging the use of environmentally friendly and healthy technologies and behaviors. They also have a leading role in developing and suggesting new policy areas”.

Relation of Human Beings to Environment

Humans have greater impact on the environment, as using up the earth’s resources. Improvements in agriculture health and medicine have produced a dramatic rise in the human population. This increase in population size leads to an increase in pollution and higher demand for the world’s resources


Human-made releases of green house gases, most notably carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide through burning fossil fuels in cars and power stations , which have an adverse effects upon the planet, natural environment and humans' existence.
Relation of Human Beings to Environment


Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere and causes the temperature of the earth to rise. This leads to disruption of the weather patterns e.g. drought, floods Some weeds may thrive on the extra carbon dioxide while other plants are killed
Relation of Human Beings to Environment


Sulphur dioxide will dissolve in rain producing Acid Rain. Acid rain damages trees and pollutes rivers and lakes. Acid rain causes erosion of buildings and statues .


Deforestation. In may countries people are chopping down forests to provide timber or space for agriculture for the growing population



Burning the timber increases the level of carbon dioxide in the air; Less trees means less carbon dioxide absorbed for photosynthesis; Soil is eroded as it is exposed to the wind and rain; Less water is transpired into the atmosphere; Many animal and plant habitats are destroyed causing extinction of species.
This causes several problems


Farming has become more intensive to provide a higher % yield from land, and this lead land farmers use more fertilisers and pesticides.
Intensive farming


Replacing the nutrients removed from the soil by plants Pollutes rivers and lakes, leading to death of fish (Eutrophication). Water plants grows and as there is competition for light, some will die
Problems with fertilizers


Pesticides can get washed into rivers and pollute the water. They may even end up in the food chain. In the 1960s, DDT in the food chain threatened bird populations and they came close to extinction.
Problems with Pesticides