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Environmental Exposures

Our group collaborated on developing a chart of environmental exposures that included a variety of biological, chemical, and radiological exposures listed across 4 key categories. Identifying these exposures helped visualize that health risks in one place do exist in other areas. It's worrisome knowing there are so many more toxins and contaminants that people may touch or breathe in daily.

I’m currently supporting a comprehensive training of young people around sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and we recently discussed the different factors that could influence people's desire (or lack of) to have children. Reflecting on these exposures, I can understand why some individuals might avoid or delay bringing a child into this world because this Earth is, unfortunately, a dangerous place.

While there are many exposures shown below, there are more that could be added. For instance, healthcare practitioners could be exposed to HIV or other blood-borne diseases/ pathogens from hospital or clinic settings. Chronic needle users could also transmit HIV to other individuals in the community. Overall, these points emphasize the important work of environmental health and safety professionals in protecting public health.

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