One of the most essential pieces of information pertinent to the patient’s case is concerned with environmental health. Environmental health deals with the relationships between people and their surroundings, such as air quality, the state of the land and water, as well as other surroundings with which people come into contact. The respiratory illness that the patient has developed is likely to be associated with her environment, such as working near a 100-year-old building, which may have a build-up of toxic substances, or living near a golf course, which is known for using chemicals to promote plant growth.
To assess the client’s risk, it is imperative to evaluate the quality of the air at the place of her residence and at work, as well as determine whether there are any substances in the environment that could cause a respiratory illness. It is expected to determine whether there are consistent emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants in the patient’s area or whether her office and home were related to building repair materials that could contain hazardous chemicals (Health and Safety Executive, 2016). While short-term exposure to either may not be particularly dangerous, the long-term interaction with harmful substances poses a risk to health.
The exposure pathway that applies to the patient is inhalation because of the reported respiratory illness that has been affecting her for a long time. When hazardous substances take the form of vapors or are absorbed by particulate matter, the act of breathing exposes a person to harmful inhalation. In addition, skin can also be a vehicle absorbing a hazardous substance in the form of a vapor, and its effects usually build up over time.
References
Health and Safety Executive. (2016). Construction hazardous substances: Key points. Web.