Sources of Environmental Hazards Effects and Control

Abstract

The entire world become village and whatever affects a country will ultimately affect the neighbouring ones.  Since the environment is being constantly polluted by man through its various activities such an acts constitutes hazard to man and its ecological being and a threat to public health. An environmental hazard is a substance, state or event which has the potential to threaten the surrounding natural environment and / or adversely affect people's health. This term incorporates topics like pollution and natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes. Human-made hazards while not immediately health-threatening may turn out detrimental to man's well-being eventually, because deterioration in the environment can produce secondary, unwanted negative effects on the human ecosphere. The effects of water pollution may not be immediately visible because of a sewage system that helps drain off toxic substances. If those substances turn out to be persistent (e.g. persistent organic pollutant), however, they will literally be fed back to their producers via the food chain: plankton -> edible fish -> humans. In that respect, a considerable number of environmental hazards are man-made (anthropogenic) hazards. This necessitate to this study of investigating, the sources, effects and controls of environment hazards. Data were gathered from Primary Health Care (P.H.C) department and from environment department through oral interview method. The findings from the data collected revealed that’s the people in the study area have negative attitude towards environmental hazards which make them to mismanage environmental resources such as land, water and air. Investigation also shows that, there were poor and inadequate system of refuse disposition and that the system most of the houses in the area are without adequate toilet facilities. Health education should be given to the people on the sources and effects of environmental hazards. It is therefore hoped that, if the recommendation made in this study is staffs strictly adhered to, it would go a long way in improving the environmental condition.