Dangerous environmental factors

The numerous stimulus differing in quality and quantity and coming from internal medium and surroundings act on brain of the person. They call formation of unconditional and conditional reflexes in the human's organism, which are systematized and result in dynamic balance. Working out conditional reflexes is biological act, which creates basis for correct exchange of substances and energy between the organism and environment.

Environment the human being lives in is characterized by conditions enabling normal physiological functions. Human being can't live out of an air which is one of the most important elements of the environment. Atmospheric air is the constant source of oxygen necessary for oxidation processes and supporting life. Oxygen and nitrogen are the key elements, with water vapour, carbon dioxide, and other gases making up the total. From the other side, a human being excretes waste gaseous products in atmospheric air from respiration. Temperature of the air, its humidity, barometric pressure, air circulation, solar radiation, and the processes of heat exchange between an organism and external environment all these climate forming factors have the great significance. Water and food are also the components of environment, without which life of the human is impossible. These components make up the structure of an organism; they are source of mineral substances, vitamins, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, which constantly participate in exchange between organism and environment.

The soil also has the same significance for the human's organism. It serves as a source of mineral, organic and organic-mineral substances and unique laboratory, in which the processes of the decomposition and synthesis of organic substances, and also photochemical processes run. The soil influences the health of a human, being a major factor that forms geochemical processes, which the chemical complex of an organism depends on. The soil is also a source of mineral substances necessary for substances circulation, plants growing etc.

The factors of natural surrounding having complex influence make different effect on health state.

Among the factors, which have negative influence, there are etiologic, that are causal factors, which directly predetermine development and expression of pathological process (disease), and risk factors, which are not the reason for disease, but enable and reinforce the action of etiologic factors. For example, viruses, toxic substances, vibration are the reasons for the certain diseases – flu, tuberculosis, poisoning with mercury, vibrational disease, and overweight; smoking, non-dynamic style of life can increase probability of diseases (hypertension, ischemia) that means to affect cardiovascular system diseases frequency, as well as negatively influence on their progress, make these and other diseases induced by etiologic factors less forecasted. Alcohol can also be a risk factor that enhance unfavorable action of chemical substances affecting nervous system; smoking brings substances which strike mainly lungs and respiratory tract. Insufficient nutrition (shortage of proteins, vitamins etc) can be etiologic factor of elementary disorder and risk factor of intoxication by heavy metals or radiation exposure for people working with them.

The negative influence of environmental factors on human body can cause an inflammation, dystrophic changes, allergic condition, changes in foetus development and damage of cell hereditary. 70-80 % of all cancer cases have; been caused by chemical cancerogen. Today about 4 % of newborns have genetic defects provoking further hereditary diseases.

The danger of chemical and radiation pollution is in the fact that their influence on an organism will develop further in many generations. Atomic power fatal affect makes 20 % of the total all over the world, chemical compounds herbicides and pesticides – 80%.

Children living in regions polluted with atmospheric emissions, frequently have low body weight and insufficient physical development, and also functional deviations of cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Diseases of respiratory organs make an average of 73,5% from the total.

Pesticides and mineral fertilizers cause extensive pollution and poisoning. Getting into the drink water and food, they provoke deviation in central nervous, cardiovascular and other systems activity of an organism, stimulate anomalies of newborns and decrease activity of the immune system. They can be a reason for malignant swellings developing and decreasing of life duration.

We can't overestimate tragic consequences of Chernobyl disaster, which became the fatal factor for Ukraine entailing the danger for genetic health of the nation. Radioactive waste has raised the radiation level what induced external and internal exposure of the people. Lots of it got inside the organism through respiration, food, skin.

Since the influence of a number of complemented radionuclides on the organism have been determined, the accessible limit of exposure doze for the person that corresponds to 35 ber is not valid anymore. This magnitude is not scientifically grounded and dangerous for health. This accessible limit doze can cause 250 cases of genetic anomalies among 1,000,000 people. Thousands of residents of polluted region have already become its victims. In 1986 exposing of thyroid gland which increased risk of cancer for 5,800 children and 7,000 adult people was detected. Professor J. Scherbak asserts, that over 400,000 people live on territory polluted by nuclear radiation in Ukraine. Almost 100,000 people live under the radiation level being still dangerous for health. Demographers testify that for one – two generations young population can be mostly mentally and physically defective taking into account appearing of millions of patients of that kind.

Amount of cardiovascular diseases, in particular heart attack of the myocardium and ischemia, brain vascular affection, cancer, bronchial asthma, diabetes, allergic diseases and diseases of alimentary tract noticeably increased. In Chernovtsy region children suffer from hair falling out and neurosis. In Kalush the number of seriously ill children from birth is almost twice higher than in the whole country.

Owing to the disastrous deterioration of environment the general health of the Ukrainian population has sharply decreased in resent years. Death-rate has exceeded the birth rate. The genetic processes were infringed, birth of children with various hereditary illnesses was increased 2-4 times. Ukraine occupied the first place in the world in children death-rate. Duration of life has decreased for 8 years, primary disablement parameter has grown.