ABSTRACT
The emergence of the ecological (or environmental) crisis as one of the main issues of the 1990s is only partly related to the health implications of environmental (or ecological) change. Nevertheless changes in our ecological setting do have important implications for health. The environment or our ecological setting may be defined as the whole of the physical aspects of our surroundings. This definition of the environment includes such aspects as the availability of natural resources, the presence of populations of other species, the availability of space for specified activities and the presence of pollutants. These aspects are subject to change. Some of these changes do currently have substantial negative impacts on health. In the highly polluted ‘black’ triangle of Southern Silesia, Sachsen (South Eastern Germany) and Northern Bohemia there is suggestive evidence of a substantial negative effect of pollutants on life expectancy (Knook 1991). Third World megacities like Mexico, and the Aral Sea area, also clearly illustrate negative health effects of pollution (World Resources Institute 1990; Brown et al. 1990). Loss of playgrounds and increased lead levels caused by the increase in motorized traffic have a negative impact on child development in cities. The pollution-induced loss of ozone from the ozone layer increases skin cancer and cataract risks, while reducing the effectiveness of the immune system (World Resources Institute 1990). Increased temperatures, the expected result of increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, are expected to increase mortality among the elderly, especially in areas where hot weather is currently uncommon. This is related to increased incidence of heat shock, stroke and heart disease (World Resources Institute 1990). In parts of Africa the loss of such an important natural resource as fertile topsoil owing to erosion creates environmental refugees who are often subject to impaired health (World Resources Institute 1990; Brown et al. 1990). Erosion-induced mudflows and inundations are a substantial health hazard in parts of Asia.
