CONTAMINATION AND HEALTH

Contamination is the process of transferring impure, dirty or infectious matter from items to another, person to person or from one source to the other- thereby rendering it harmful, unwholesome, poisonous and unhealthy. It is a common, unpleasant and dangerous situation that affects the atmosphere, environment, food, drinks, and water supply; and finally afflicts the human/animal/plant life exposing them to destruction, to danger and health disorders. The entire human race and environment are under threat of contamination arising from planned or unplanned, direct, indirect and abnormal human and natural activities, disasters, pollution as well as improper disease control and health care practices. In addition, acts of carelessness, negligence, ignorance, poverty, lack of information and education, irregular and poor government legislation, and manufactures attitude to the management of wastes and toxic materials as well as bad infrastructural planning all play their role in encouraging contamination. 

Waste products from industries, homes sewage, agricultural chemicals, flooding and general bad sanitation can easily contaminate food products and water supply for various uses. Good sanitation should be implemented at all levels of production, storage and distribution of consumables. In homes and communal environment, care must be taken to prevent modes of contamination and infection spread by maintaining proper ventilation, and over-crowding, make wise use of personal effects and common facilities like clothing, eating and drinking utensils, bathing/toileting/swimming and laundry use, and other items that could transmit infections. In health areas, there should be proper practices with screening person to person handling, blood and fluid handling, hand-washing techniques, use of clothing and protective materials and equipment, bed spacing and isolation sterilization methods, refuse disposals and high professional inputs so as to prevent the risk of contaminating where ever infectious diseases are present or suspected, proper management should be applied and close contacts should be minimized or disallowed. Coughing, sneezing, sweating, kissing, sexual contacts are all easy ways of being contaminated with one infection or the other. 

Be cautious, detect, report and treat infections promptly no matter how minor it may appear. Vaccinations and immunizations are safety guards for disease prevention, make use of them. Eating and bad eating habits are other easy ways of being contaminated or infected, so foods like vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, seafoods, milk and dairy products, canned food can easily be contaminated and they should be handled and taken with care starting from purchasing, storage, preparation and consumption. Making sure they are healthy, within acceptable consumption date and that there is no alteration in colour, taste, odour and packaging. Report any abnormal symptoms noticed after the consumption of suspected contaminated food promptly. 

Domestic animals as well as rodents, cockroaches, flies, ticks fleas etc, are also agents of food, water and body contamination. So care must be applied in this area to tame he pets and eradicate the pests.

All items come in contact with contaminated blood, body fluid, pus, sweat, mucus and other discharges should be properly disposed preferably by burning them. 

Keep watch over your health; avoid contacts with suspected and obviously contaminated agents. Enjoy a clean healthy living. 

Original Write-up by

Mrs. C. E. Akuwudike