Lecture 3-4

Influence of dangerous environmental factors on human's health

1. Dangerous environmental factors

The numerous stimulus differing in quality and quantity and coming from internal medium and surroundings act on brain of the person. They call formation of unconditional and conditional reflexes in the human's organism, which are systematized and result in dynamic balance. Working out conditional reflexes is biological act, which creates basis for correct exchange of substances and energy between the organism and environment.

The factors of natural surrounding having complex influence make different effect on health state.

Among the factors, which have negative influence, there are etiologic, that are causal factors, which directly predetermine development and expression of pathological process (disease), and risk factors, which are not the reason for disease, but enable and reinforce the action of etiologic factors. For example, viruses, toxic substances, vibration are the reasons for the certain diseases – flu, tuberculosis, poisoning with mercury, vibration disease, and overweight; smoking, non-dynamic style of life can increase probability of diseases (hypertension, ischemia) that means to affect cardiovascular system diseases frequency, as well as negatively influence on their progress, make these and other diseases induced by etiologic factors less forecasted. Alcohol can also be a risk factor that enhance unfavorable action of chemical substances affecting nervous system; smoking brings substances which strike mainly lungs and respiratory tract. Insufficient nutrition (shortage of proteins, vitamins etc) can be etiologic factor of elementary disorder and risk factor of intoxication by heavy metals or radiation exposure for people working with them.

The negative influence of environmental factors on human body can cause an inflammation, dystrophic changes, allergic condition, changes in foetus development and damage of cell hereditary. 70-80 % of all cancer cases have; been caused by chemical cancerogen. Today about 4 % of newborns have genetic defects provoking further hereditary diseases.

Children living in regions polluted with atmospheric emissions, frequently have low body weight and insufficient physical development, and also functional deviations of cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Diseases of respiratory organs make an average of 73,5% from the total.

Amount of cardiovascular diseases, in particular heart attack of the myocardium and ischemia, brain vascular affection, cancer, bronchial asthma, diabetes, allergic diseases and diseases of alimentary tract noticeably increased.

Death-rate has exceeded the birth rate. The genetic processes were infringed, birth of children with various hereditary illnesses was increased 2-4 times. Ukraine occupied the first place in the world in children death-rate. Duration of life has decreased for 8 years, primary disablement parameter has grown.

2 Influence of drug addiction and toxic substance abuse on life activity of a person

Drug addiction is a condition where a person takes a drug compulsively, despite potential harm to themselves, or their desire to stop. Drug addiction has two components: physical dependency and psychological dependency.

Physical dependency occurs when a drug has been used usually and the body has become accustomed to its effects. The person must then continue to use drug in order to feel normal or its absence will trigger the symptoms of withdrawal (abstinence).

Psychological dependency occurs when a drug has been used usually and the mind has become emotionally dependent on its effects, either to elicit pleasure or relieve pain, and doses not feel capable of functioning without it.

Drugs can be divided into three big groups:

1. Depressants of the central nervous systems.

2. Antidepressants.

3. Hallucinogens.

1. Depressants are any drugs that reduce the functioning of the central nervous system or any other part of the body. Its drugs opium types: opium, morphine, heroin, codeine and also barbiturate and tranquilizers. Depressants are typically into the body in pill form, but the opium, heroin is taken intravenously.

Depressants can affect the body in several different ways. The primary effect is feelings of relaxation and reduction of tension. Use over time, however, will cause users to build up a tolerance to the substance. This means that you’ll require more and more of the drug to get the same feelings as you originally did. Certainly, the initial effects can be pleasant, but over time, users feel drained and generally unwell due to their depressants drug abuse.

2. Antidepressants or activating of the central nervous system (cocaine, amphetamine) in medical doses drugs raise intellectual and physical activity, prolong the wakefulness periods and eliminate feeling of hunger. In higher doses these preparations activating aggression, cause the general anxiety often accompanied by delirium of persecution. It is the first stage of action of drugs. In the second stage of action there comes easing of intellectual and physical abilities and also general breakdown.

3. Hallucinogens are psychoactive drugs that produce changed perceptions or ways of thinking and feeling when take. To be specific, hallucinogens can be broken down into two groups: small and big psychodelics. On the origin psychodelics divide on natural and synthetic.

Small – marijuana and nutmeg are characterized by following properties: the effect are shown in weak degree or not shown absolutely. Nutmeg – causes such condition of the changed perception in which there are unusual experiences, basically in the field of corporal sensations. The person under influence nutmeg, starts to seem that its body has increased till the huge sizes. Often have a condition of excitation of the nervous system.

Big (LAD – lysergic acid diethylamide) – even in rather small doses very strongly influence processes of thinking, perception and on a consciousness condition, and can caused qualitative changes of the person. Action on the person of one dose LAD very differently, but almost always there are hallucinations and deformation of sensual perception. For example: colours can seem sounding, and sounds possessing smell, the form or colour.

Besides, there are various changes of an emotional condition – from excitation before depression, the strongest alarm, fear, insanity.

Social danger and harmfulness of drug addiction:

Drug addicts are bad workers, their work capacity, physical and mental activity is strongly reduced.

Drug addiction brings significant material and moral losses, is the reason of industrial, transport and private accidents, injuries and other.

Drug addicts make insufferable condition for their families; commit crimes as to their children, because poor health of parents passes to the children.

Drug addicts degrade physically and morally becoming and burden for the society, involving in the dirty business new people.

Drug illness in all its kinds is a social dangerous mental disease that threatens future of the nation.