Focus on Environment

<strong>Focus</strong> Environ (2016)
Environment and Its Impact on Human Health
Sridevi et al
Figure 3: Effect of ionizing radiation on cellular tissue damage. In seconds, it can break DNA
strands and cause oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, lipids, and other biomolecules; in
minutes, its exposure can alter the gene expression and modify some proteins. Long exposures
(days to years), results in acute organ failure leading to mortality or instability of gene that
causes cancer and birth defects and affects forthcoming generations.
may appear slowly over a long period of
time. This risk is higher for children and
adolescents, as they are significantly more
sensitive to radiation exposure than adults.
An organism’s response to ionizing
radiation consists of a complex set of
physical, chemical, and biological events.
Within seconds, radiation produces damage
to DNA and oxidizes proteins and DNA,
lipids, and other biomolecules. Within
minutes, the cell responds by changing the
activation of certain genes and modifying
some proteins. At high radiation doses, the
result may be acute organ failure leading to
death or genomic instability that causes
cancer and birth defects and affects future
generations (Fischbein et al., 1997; Aarkrog,
2003; Bréchignac, 2003; Alamri et al.,
2012).
CONCLUSION
When the question arises, what does the
future hold for our planet's natural
environment? Well, we have no crystal ball
to tell exactly what lies ahead, but we can
look at past data and current trends to make
future forecasts. This chapter has linked
environmental pollution to human health
with a hope that individuals of the society
should be aware of future consequences of
environmental pollution. It’s the
responsibility of every individual to
understand the seriousness of environmental
issues and to find the solution to break the
development of pollution hazards.
ISBN: 978-967-14475-0-5; eISBN: 978-967-14475-1-2 84