Task description
For this task, you are asked to identify and discuss a broad challenge facing environmental health that you feel is very important to public health (e.g. a big picture issue). Examples might include global warming or air pollution. Then you will be required to select a specific example in a particular location where health risks or health impacts may be occurring as a component of the big picture issue you identified. Examples could include the severe bushfires in Victoria, the recent floods or Cyclone Yasi in Queensland, or something occurring in your own local community. Begin your paper by discussing the broader challenge and explain how the specific/ local issue may be related or contributing to it. In your conclusion, make an effort to reflect upon what you have learned as you investigated the specific/local issue with respect to its relevance (or lack or relevance) to the way we could/should be facing the larger challenge.
You can choose an environmental health issue that affects you in your home, your workplace or your community or something that doesn’t directly affect you. Some examples are provided below.
The task requires you to conduct a detailed analysis of this issue and prepare report that provides a succinct and critical overview of the issue, using the following as a content guide:
What is the big picture issue you are concerned about?
Why is it such an important environmental health issue?
What specific issue will you be examining and how does it relate to the bigger picture issue?
Describe the relevant aspects of the location where the issue is/was occurring. Who are the relevant stakeholders at the local level?
What epidemiological studies have been conducted about this specific issue (locally or in other places)? What do they demonstrate?
What are the potential effects on human health and wellbeing?
Is any toxicological or infectious disease information relevant? Briefly summarise key points.
What government policy or legislation is relevant?
What are the possible ways of managing the issue, and the benefits and disadvantages of these?
What are the implications of this issue for your home, workplace, community etc?
How do you recommend this issue be managed at the local level?
What learnings from your investigation of the local/specific issue do you think are relevant to the way we could/should face the larger, big picture challenge?
It is important that you try and locate high quality information on this issue. Using newspaper reports as your sole source for this assignment is not appropriate. This task requires you to write scientifically and ensure that all your information is properly referenced. Rather than simply quoting key sources, you should critically analyse sources of information and indicate its relevance (or not) to your local issue. You are also expected to assess different perspectives on the issue.
