The link between environment and health

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the relationship between environment and health as: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Báo Long An•14/05/2025

Law No. 72/2020/QH14 on Environmental Protection clearly states: “The environment includes natural and man-made physical elements that are closely related to each other, surrounding human beings, and affecting the life, economy , society, existence, and development of human beings, living organisms, and nature.”

It is estimated that approximately 24% of diseases and 23% of deaths worldwide originate from environmental factors. Therefore, research into the organic interactions between the environment and health, and the proposal of measures for environmental management and protection in development for the health of the people, is a matter of concern for all sectors and professions.

Environmental components include: the lithosphere (land environment), the biosphere (biological environment), the atmosphere (air environment), and the hydrosphere (water environment).

There are four environmental factors that affect health: the physical environment, including factors such as climate, noise, light, radiation, and work burden; the chemical environment, including dust, chemicals, medicines, and food; the biological environment, including animals, plants, parasites, bacteria, viruses, and genetic factors; and the social environment, including stress and interpersonal relationships.

Our Party and State have always been concerned about the health of the people by creating a safe, equal, and fair living environment for all citizens, reflecting fundamental human rights, the humanitarianism of the state, and the spirit of social solidarity.

Environmental protection activities include pollution remediation, environmental improvement, rational and economical exploitation and use of natural resources, and biodiversity conservation.

Environmental managers have established permissible limits for parameters related to ambient environmental quality and the concentration of pollutants in waste, which are regulated by competent state agencies as a basis for environmental management and protection.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has issued 83 criteria for evaluating hospital quality, which are being widely implemented in private clinics, traditional medicine facilities, and other healthcare establishments. These criteria include ensuring electrical safety and fire prevention and control; infection prevention and control; and solid and liquid waste management. This helps hospitals provide high-quality healthcare services, build their brand and reputation, and improve the quality of healthcare services for the safety of both patients and healthcare workers.

Beyond the community, there are three forms of environmental pollution: water, air, and soil. Water pollution, in particular, has a rapid rate of spread and a large-scale impact on life. When polluted water evaporates, it causes air pollution, and when contaminated water seeps into the soil, it creates soil pollution.

Traditional environmental pollution hazards often manifest quickly as illnesses, such as water pollution causing diarrhea, vomiting, and skin rashes. Modern environmental pollution hazards, however, have a much longer latent period between impact and disease manifestation. Examples include radioactive substances contaminating the soil, and toxic chemicals seeping into plants and animals that can cause cancer in humans decades later.

Therefore, every citizen must be conscious of personal hygiene to maintain their health, and then maintain the hygiene of their surrounding environment to minimize environmental pollution.

Environmental protection is a cause for the entire society, and it is the right and responsibility of state agencies, organizations, households, and individuals. Environmental protection must be harmoniously integrated with economic development and social progress to ensure sustainable national development. National environmental protection must be linked to regional and global environmental protection.

Environmental protection activities must be ongoing, focusing primarily on prevention, combined with remediation of pollution and degradation; at the same time, improving environmental quality.

Aware of the importance of protecting a green, clean, and beautiful environment for public health, each of us must promote and educate the community on maintaining environmental hygiene and building a healthy lifestyle from individuals to families, and from families to society, in the spirit of "One healthy person – a healthy family, a healthy family – a healthy nation, a healthy nation – a healthy world."

DSCKII. Ly Thi Nhat Dinh

Source: https://baolongan.vn/mo-i-lien-he-giu-a-moi-truo-ng-va-su-c-kho-e-a195183.html