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LESSON

Biological and Social Hazards


Guiding Question: How do biological and social factors in the
environment affect human health?

Describe how infectious diseases spread.


Explain why emerging diseases are important to
monitor and control.
Differentiate between social hazards that are
lifestyle choices and those that cannot be
controlled.

Reading Strategy As you read each section under a large


blue heading, jot down the key points. Using the key points,
write in your notebook a summary of what you have read.
Vocabulary infectious disease, emerging disease

You encounter biological hazards every day. They are in the air
you breathe, the food you eat, and the water you drink. Your body is constantly working to fight these pathogens off. Usually, your body winsbut
not always. In fact, diseases caused by biological hazards are the secondleading cause of death worldwide. Because of this, scientists around the
globe are working on ways to identify, treat, and prevent these diseases.

9.2 Lesson Plan Preview

Real World Students investigate local drinking water and


wastewater treatment.
Differentiated Instruction
Help less proficient readers
outline the lesson.

Infectious Disease
Infectious diseases are spread by direct human contact,
through contaminated food and water, and by animals.

9.2 Resources

Infectious diseases are diseases caused by a pathogen, such as a virus or a


bacterium. Pathogens are biological hazards. Globally, infectious diseases
account for about 30 percent of all deaths each yearnearly
18 million people. About three fifths of these deaths result from just five
types of diseases. Figure 6 lists these diseases and the estimated number
of deaths they caused in 2004.

Paper and Pencil Activity, Tracking an


Outbreak Bellringer Video, Swine Flu
Could Be a Global Pandemic Lesson
9.2 Worksheets and Assessment
Chapter 9 Overview Presentation

Disease Transmission Infectious diseases spread through the human


population in different ways. For example, pathogens can be spread by
humans, water or food, or by other organisms.
Some diseases are spread directly from one human to
another. For example, touching, biting, sexual intercourse, contact
with bodily fluids, and inhaling expelled droplets can all spread
disease. HIVthe virus that causes AIDScan be transmitted
when a person comes into contact with the blood or body fluids of
an infected person. Tuberculosis (TB) is spread through droplets
in the air. People who are infected with TB release bacteria-laden
droplets when they cough, sneeze, speak, and spit. If a person
nearby breathes in the droplets, he or she may become infected
with TB.

Humans

Figure 6 Global Infectious Disease The five types of

diseases listed killed an estimated 10.8 million people


in 2004. AIDS alone killed about 2 million people,
roughly equal to the entire population of Arkansas.

FOCUS Watch the ABC News


video Swine Flu Could Be
a Global Pandemic. Have
students use their own experiences to talk about how the
spread of H1N1 virus was
controlled in the months after
the video was made.

Global Deaths by Infectious Diseases


Disease

Deaths (in millions)

Respiratory Infections

4.2

AIDS

2.0

Diarrheal Diseases

2.2

Tuberculosis

1.5

Malaria

0.9

Source: World Health Organization. WHO global burden of


disease (GBD) 2004 estimates (revised).

Environmental Health 261

Some pathogens spread when people consume contaminated water or food. For example, Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium
that causes cholera, is a waterborne pathogen. Human feces that contain
Vibrio cholerae contaminate water supplies. When a person drinks contaminated water, he or she may experience intense diarrhea and vomiting.
These symptoms can lead to dehydration and even death.

Water or Food

Disease can also be spread by other organisms. In


these cases, the organism carries the pathogen and passes it to a person.
These disease-carrying organisms, or vectors, usually do not suffer from
the disease themselves. Some vectors, such as ticks and mosquitoes, transmit pathogens when they bite humans. For example, female mosquitoes
in the genus Anopheles carry pathogens that cause malaria. A mosquito
picks up the pathogen when it bites an infected person and transmits it
when it bites a non-infected person (Figure 7).

Other Organisms

Figure 7 Animal Vectors Female


Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit
the malaria pathogen when they
bite. Form an Opinion DDT kills
Anopheles mosquitoes. Does this fact
justify spraying DDT in Africa?
ANSWERS

Figure 7 Answers will vary, but


students should justify their opinion whether or not DDT should be
sprayed to kill mosquitoes.

Reducing Risk Infectious diseases account for almost half of all deaths
in developing nations. But, in developed nations, infectious disease is less
of a threat because of public health measures, such as better sanitation
and access to medicine. For example, developed nations often have effective water treatment facilities. Public water supplies are closely monitored
and treated so that high levels of pathogens do not contaminate the water.
In addition, developed nations often have adequate wastewater treatment
plants. These facilities accept and treat sewage so that human wastes are
not released directly into the environment.

Figure 8 Clean Water Supplies Clean


water is a critical step toward reducing
infectious diseases worldwide. Lack of
clean water and basic sanitation kills
nearly 2 million young children each
year (nearly 5000 per day). In the inset
photo, young African children collect
water to bring home, unaware that it is
contaminated with cholera.
262 Lesson 2

How Do Diseases Spread?


5 placed
6 a7fluorescent
8 9 material in the
1 Your
2 teacher
3 4 has

classroom to simulate a virus. Keep track of the people and


objects you touch. Then, use a UV flashlight to check for
the virus on your hands, objects, and people you have
touched since entering the classroom. CAUTION: Do not
look directly at the UV light.
to determine how
5 6 with
7 your
8 classmates
9
2 Exchange
3 4 results
the virus spread throughout the classroom. Wash your
hands with soap and warm water before leaving your
classroom.

Analyze and Conclude


1. Infer What can you infer about how the
virus spread through the classroom?
2. Apply Concepts How does thorough
hand washing help prevent the spread of
diseases?
3. Design an Experiment Suggest a way
to model the spread of a vector-borne
disease.

Cholera is a good example of how wastewater treatment plants help


reduce the spread of disease. Because Vibrio cholerae gets into waterways
through human feces, sewage contamination can lead to cholera epidemics. Treating sewage, therefore, helps reduce the incidence of cholera.
There are many ways you can reduce your risk of catching and spreading infectious diseases. For example, you should cover your nose and
mouth with your sleeve or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then, throw
the tissue in the garbage. You should wash your hands often with soap and
water. If soap is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. And if
you are sick, stay home from school to avoid spreading the disease.
Reading
Checkpoint

 escribe how pathogens can spread directly from one person


D
to another.

Emerging Diseases
Since new diseases are continually emerging, it is important to
know how, where, and to what extent they are spreading.

ANSWERS

Quick Lab
1. The virus was spread throughout
the classroom by students as they
touched contaminated objects
with their hands.
2. Thorough hand washing washes
viruses off hands. Therefore, frequent hand washing may prevent
the spread of diseases.
3. Answers will vary, but should
outline a procedure to model a
vector-borne disease.
Reading Checkpoint Pathogens
can spread from one person to
another by touching, biting, sexual
intercourse, contact with body fluids,
and inhaling expelled droplets.

Despite our attempts to reduce and avoid disease, we are constantly battling new diseases. An emerging disease is a disease that has appeared in
the human population for the first time, or that has existed for a while but
is increasing rapidly or spreading around the world.
The pathogens that cause emerging disease are particularly dangerous
because humans have developed little or no resistance to them. In addition, methods of controlling emerging diseases, such as vaccines, have not
been developed.
One good example of an emerging disease is the H1N1 (swine) flu.
The current strain first appeared in Mexico in March 2009. By June, it
had spread to 70 nations, infecting nearly 30,000 people. At that time, the
World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic level
6the highest level. A pandemic is an outbreak that becomes widespread
and affects a whole region, continent, or the world.
Environmental Health 263

ARCTIC OCEAN

N O RT H
AMERICA
E. coli
O157:H7

PACIFIC
OCEAN

Dengue

ATLANTIC
OCEAN

SO UTH
AM ER I C A

A S IA

H1N1 swine
influenza

Multidrugresistant
tuberculosis

MRSA
H1N1 swine
influenza

E U ROP E

West Nile Virus

A FRICA
Ebola
Cholera

E. coli
O157:H7

Diphtheria

SARS

H5N1 avian
influenza

INDIAN
OCEAN

A U STRAL IA

A N TA RCT ICA

Figure 9 Emerging Diseases The


map shows where some emerging
diseases have recently appeared.
Some of these diseases, such as
cholera and diphtheria, are not new,
but have appeared in new areas.
Others, like SARS and MRSA are more
recent threats.

The Spread of Emerging Diseases Emerging diseases may quickly


spread to new regions or population centers. Therefore, it is important to
understand some of the ways diseases emerge and spread.
Many diseases are spreading as people become
more mobile. A virus for influenza can move across continents in just a
few hours if an infected person takes a long airplane flight. Whenever
people or other animals move around Earth, they may be taking pathogens along with them.

Increasing Mobility

Other diseases, such as tuberculosis, are


becoming resistant to our antibiotics. That is, they can survive and grow
even when we take medicines that have previously killed them. Antibiotic
resistance is a result of natural selection. If a few pathogens in a population are either naturally resistant or develop resistance to an antibiotic,
they will survive when exposed to the drug. The rest of the population
will die, but a few resistant organisms may then reproduce and create
new populations of resistant pathogens.

Antibiotic Resistance

BIG QUESTION
What is the relationship between
environmental health and our
own health?
Interpretation Have students read
the information about the spread
of emerging diseases. Then have
students write a short story that
involves human actions that affect
or are affected by the spread of an
emerging disease.

264 Lesson 2

By altering their environment, people may


spread emerging diseases. For example, when people cut down forests,
they may come into contact with animals that carry pathogens. These
animals, and their pathogens, may have been previously contained inside
the forest environment.

A Changing Environment

Climate change is another way our changing environment may


encourage the spread of disease. If global temperatures continue to rise,
tropical diseases such as malaria and cholera could expand into new,
formerly cooler areas.

Responding to Emerging Diseases Emerging diseases can


surface and spread quickly. As a result, having a reliable response system
in place is a necessary step toward maintaining global health. Currently,
international and government agencies and organizations work together
to help monitor, respond to, and control the spread of emerging diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is
an international group that helps respond to emerging diseases. It has
networks of organizations, agencies, labs, and medical centers that monitor world health events. When an emerging disease is identified, WHO
posts the information on the World Wide Web. Within 24 hours, a team
goes to the site to assess the situation. If needed, WHO will then help
coordinate an international response.

International Response

Individual nations also help respond to emerging diseases. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) is the primary national center for responding to
emerging diseases. It works with international as well as other federal,
state, and local organizations to develop and apply disease prevention and
control measures.
For example, the CDC has taken many steps to help contain the
spread of the H1N1 virus. The CDC has worked with states to develop
pandemic plans. The CDC has also performed lab testing of the virus and
assisted with training workshops on viral identification techniques. In
conjunction with the companies that develop the seasonal flu vaccine, it
has developed a vaccine against the H1N1 virus.

National Response

Reading
Checkpoint

ANSWERS

Reading Checkpoint Increased


travel, antibiotic resistance, and a
changing environment
FIGURE 10 Response to Emerging
Disease Researchers work with the
H1N1 virus at a CDC lab in Atlanta. The
inset shows a colorized micrograph of
the H1N1 virus.

 hat are three factors that influence the spread of emerging


W
diseases?

265

Social Hazards
Some social hazards result from lifestyle choices a person
makes, while other social hazards cannot be controlled.

ANSWERS

Lesson 2 Assessment
1. Students should describe one of
the following: other people, contaminated water or food, or other
organisms (vectors).
2. Sample answer: Emerging diseases
can quickly spread across national
borders. Therefore, it is important
to have an international organization that can help nations work
together to control these diseases.
3. Answers will vary.
4. Sample answer: It is unlikely that
modern medicine will eliminate
all biological hazards from Earth
because pathogens are always
evolving and can evolve resistance
to our defenses.

Where you live, your job, and the choices you make every day affect
your health. When these factors harm your health, they are called social
hazards. Some social hazards can be easily avoided, while others are more
difficult. For example, you might live near an old toxic waste site that is
leaking harmful chemicals into the soil. Or your job could put you into
contact with harmful chemicals.
Smoking is a social hazard that can cause lung cancer. A person can
avoid this risk by not smoking. Cigarette smoke irritates a persons eyes,
nose, and throat and can make asthma worse. But tobacco smoke can also
affect the health of a nonsmoker when he or she breathes in secondhand
smoke. Secondhand smoke is the exhaled smoke from nearby smokers
mixed with smoke from a burning cigarette, pipe, or cigar. Secondhand
smoke exposure has been linked to lung cancer and respiratory tract
infections. While you can choose not to smoke, how much secondhand
smoke you breathe in may be difficult to control, especially if you live
with a smoker.
You may not think of potato chips as a hazard. But if your diet consists primarily of fatty foods, this is considered a social hazard. A highfat diet can put you at risk for heart attack and stroke. The good news
is that diet, along with many other
social hazards, can be reduced simply by changing your behavior. You
can choose to eat healthful foods.
You can also choose to stay active
by exercising regularly. By staying
active, and eating healthfully, you
may be able to avoid obesity, heart
disease, and high blood pressure.

Figure 11 Healthy Lifestyle


Choices You can exercise regularly
to avoid the dangers of a sedentary
lifestyle.

2
1. Review Describe one way pathogens can spread
through the environment.
2. Explain Why is it important to have an international organization such as WHO coordinating
responses to emerging diseases?
266 Lesson 2

3. Apply Concepts Describe three social hazards that


are a result of choices you make every day.
4. Explore the BIGQUESTION Do you think that
modern medicine will ever eliminate biological
hazards from Earth? Why or why not?

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