The objective of this course is to teach an understanding of the basic principles of both water and air pollution issues on local, regional and global scales.

The Air We Breathe- The WHO GBD estimates that 7.5 million deaths and over 200 million DALYs each year are attributable to air pollution. In this segment of the course, we will learn more about the sources and health impacts of particulate matter and ozone; will read and discuss the Harvard Six Cities study.

The Water We Drink - The WHO GBD estimates that 0.4 million deaths and over 20 million DALYs each year are attributable to use of unimproved water supplies (0.12 million deaths) and unimproved sanitation (0.24 million deaths). We will explore the evidence suggesting the large gains in public health achieved through disinfection of drinking water have been accompanied by increased risks of bladder, and perhaps colon, cancer.

The Food We Eat- The WHO GBD addresses many aspects of risks and benefits related to diet – for example, diet low in fruits (4.9 million deaths); diet high in sodium (3.1 million deaths); diet low in vegetables (1.8 million deaths); diet low in seafood omega-3 fatty acids (1.4 million deaths) – it does not currently include any estimate of the burden of disease due to foodborne illness or health risks from pesticides.

The Work We Do- The WHO GBD estimates that almost 0.9 million deaths and 62 million DALYs are attributable each year to occupational risk factors. Of these, more than half of the deaths (~ 0.5 million) and almost 1/3rd of the DALYS (23 million) are due to occupational injuries. Roughly one fourth of the deaths (0.2 million) and about 1/6th of the DALYS (9 million) are due to occupational exposures to particulate matter, gases and fumes in the workplace.