Environmental Health: Seven-Year Respiratory Illness

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Information that is Pertinent to the Client’s Case
Assessment of the Client’s Risk
Exposure Pathway for the Client
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The present case study discusses the health issue faced by a 55-year-old woman who works as a lawyer in the old building that was built more than a century ago. What is more, the colleagues of the patient suffer from the same respiratory illness that does not depend on the change of season or addiction to smoking. The problem of the client is closely related to the topic of environmental health. The notion of environmental health proposes that the quality of a person’s life is determined not only by socio-economic, physical, or psychological factors but also by biological and chemical ones. The present paper analyzes the case of a woman suffering from a seven-year respiratory illness.

Information that is Pertinent to the Client’s Case

As it has already been mentioned in the introduction, it is important that the patient, who suffers from the respiratory illness for seven years that does not depend on the season, has no history of tobacco use, works in an old building, and claims that her colleagues experience the same symptoms. The fact that the illness appeared not shortly after she started to work in an old house makes us suppose that the cause of the health issue lies in the environment. According to Nriagu (2019), materials used to build the house, “human occupants, their activities” are the cause of the airborne pollutants (p. 344). These pollutants, in their turn, could lead to the occurrence of various diseases. In this case, it is essential not to forget that the woman is working in the old building. Hence, the chances are that the building’s ventilation system has not been cleaned for a long time and has become a hotbed of infections and air pollutants.

Assessment of the Client’s Risk

The information provided by the case study is not enough to fully assess the client’s risk. Stanhope and Lancaster (2016) argue that “determining whether the chemical has been released into the environment” is essential to conduct a risk assessment (p. 228). Therefore, it is necessary to ask the patient about the location of the building of the court and whether nearby there are any factories such as petrochemical ones. It should also be examined whether near the building there are any specific plants that cause respiratory illness as a result of allergic reaction. In addition to that, a specialist should inspect the condition of the lungs, rate of oxygen saturation, and respiration pattern. This examination will reveal how strongly the environment affects the client’s state of health. From what is described in the case study, it could be inferred that the client’s risk is relatively high because of the respiratory illness.

Exposure Pathway for the Client

The concept of exposure pathway refers to the way of contacting with the pollutant or a poisonous substance. The primary exposure pathways include inhalation, ingestion, injection, or direct contact through skin or eyes. In the present case, it is apparent that the client inhales the pollutant that causes her respiratory illness. If she ingested or touched the harmful substance, she would have had problems with the skin or with the gastrointestinal tract. However, since she suffers from a respiratory illness, it is highly likely that she and her colleagues inhale the substance while working together in the old building.

Conclusion

From the information provided in the case study, it is impossible to infer the direct cause of the patient’s illness. Nevertheless, it is evident that the reason for the health problems lies in the environment where she works. It would not be enough to prescribe medicines to eradicate the symptoms of the illness. It is also essential to figure out how the old building provokes respiratory disease in employees who stay there during working hours.

References

Nriagu, J. O. (2019). Encyclopedia of environmental health. Elsevier.

Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (2016). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community (9^th ed.). Elsevier Mosby.

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Environmental Health: Seven-Year Respiratory Illness

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