This chapter was a big variation from the norm of talking about individual health. The focus of this chapter was on the health of the earth as well as the impact that that earth and certain materials/substances may have on health. The first thing that caught my attention in this chapter was the Air Quality Index.It was quite shocking to see the amount of pollution that exists in the air and the fact that so many people around the world live with high index ratings as their norm. “The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and associated health risks” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 334). This means that people living in areas with high AQI readings are at a hugely increased risk of contracting diseases.
The second thing that caught my attention in the chapter was in regards to human waste. “Each day, every person in the United States generates nearly 4.5 pounds of municipal solid waste, more commonly known as trash or garbage. This totals about 258 million tons of trash each year” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 342). This is a staggering statistic, stating that so much waste is produced by Americans on even just a daily basis, let alone the astronomical numbers produced per year. On top of this, it is even crazier to think that Americans only recycle about one-third of the waste we generate (Donatelle, 2019, p. 342).
The final part of the chapter that stuck out to me was the effects and main source of indoor air pollution. Among the many things that cause indoor air pollution, the last one that I would have thought of was Environmental Tobacco Smoke. Also, known as secondhand smoke, this source of indoor air pollution is greater than asbestos, home heating, radon, lead, and even mold. Yet even with everyone having the possibility for the latter threats, environmental tobacco smoke is still the leading cause despite not everyone smoking. Environmental tobacco smoke “contains carbon monoxide and cancer-causing particles. The level of carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke in enclosed spaces has been found to be 4,000 times higher than that allowed in the clean air standard established by the EPA” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 336).
Overall, this semester has been a big change for all of us. The possibility to running a 5k road race to see whether I would reach my goal of a 19 minute 5k became impossible due to the current situation. However, I was able to see improvement of my running during everyday-runs and found a new passion that I did not have before. I began to enjoy running again, which I haven’t been able to do since high school. Although I was not able to time myself in a race format, I was able to make progress in running, overall health, and mental health as well. Despite not technically meeting my goal, I feel that I have been able to improve so much more outside of just that one goal. Here is one last picture of my dog and I after going for a nice run in the recent heat and nice weather.
BSU Health 102 - Kyle Rendon 