ABSTRACT

Threats to the environment and the people’s quality of life due to modernization and progress have been the recent concerns of people, groups and government leaders. This action research focuses on air pollution. It is an attempt to develop models of environmental health risk assessment at the community level to help communities manage, prevent or minimize anticipated environmental health consequences as a result of developments thru modernization to protect people’s quality of life.The research studied 4 components: the biophysical, climatic, socio-economics and anthropogenic factors as indicators to development to the 3 hypothesized models (Model I – Biophysical and Climatic Factors; Model II – Anthropogenic and Economic Factors and Model III – Convergence of Model I and Model II) using GIS application tools to track and display results of model calculations. These models were used as a tool to predict health riskiness and enable the decision maker to come up with intervention schemes or risk management strategies and health forecasting based at the pilot rural/city health units. Two locations of coastal and upland landscape were selected to assume that terrain could be a factor in air quality and thus varying degree of pollution could occur. It was found out that the effect of air pollution to human well-being is measurable using conventional socio-economic survey. Results were further reinforced using GIS showing the occurrence and extent of pollution between wet and dry season in visual and spatial presentation. The overlay of biophysical, socio-economic, anthropogenic sources of pollution and the significant variables explaining household dynamics have produced a health riskiness map showing the extent of health status & the zones where health risk as affected by industries is categorized. The evolved Environmental Health Risk Assessment Model using the sophisticated GIS technology implemented at the community level can be used in analyzing and forecasting the present health status of the community.