Resumen

MORENO SANCHEZ,, Ana Rosa. Health and Environment. Rev. Fac. Med. (Méx.) [online]. 2022, vol.65, n.3, pp.8-18.  Epub 01-Ago-2022. ISSN 2448-4865.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fm.24484865e.2022.65.3.02.

Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have caused various and significant effects on the planet widely investigated and reported. Human beings and the rest of living beings have a permanent interdependence with the environment, which has become more evident today. Damage to the quality of water, air and soil, coupled with the progressive deterioration and loss of ecosystems and the effects on flora and fauna, have led to changes that translate into dangers and risks of various kinds and importance for human health, either short term or long term. These environmental changes are accompanied and enhanced by social, economic, cultural and political factors, whose impacts on health are manifested at the local, regional and even global levels. This article describes the main environmental changes and their adverse effects on health, highlighting the importance of physicians considering them in their daily dealings with patients and their families, particularly when vulnerable populations have been identified. It concludes with the recommendation that the health sector show greater interest in the environment and health issue, adopting leadership to strengthen environmental public health programs with intersectoral and interdisciplinary approaches. Let’s hope that the health field and its environmental base constitute the comprehensive training of human resources and promote research that provides elements to define and implement successful public policies.

Palabras llave : Global environmental change; human health.