Vulnerable Groups:-

According to chambers (1989), vulnerability means not only exposure to risks, but also lack of means to overcome these risks. The people who are most vulnerable to the environmental hazards, are these who are least able to avoid them and / or least able to cope with the illness or injury they cause. If one attempts to examine what causes people’s vulnerability to environmental hazards, the interaction between environmental hazards and social economic, political and demographic factors become much clearer. An example can be cited with the disease diarrhea. Diarrhea is a disease caused due to the consumption of contarruinated water and the incidence is very common to individuals, particularly children living in poor living conditions. The economic underpinnings of diarrhea become clear when the incidence of occurrence of the disease is found predominantly among the poor people, who live in unhygienic crowded conditions, have inadequate sanitation and lack piped water facilities. The incidence an also be judged to be a political problem since nearly all government agencies have the capacity to reduce the levels of morbidity and mortality related to diarrhoen by providing the basic infrastructural facilities like provision of piped water improved living conditions and health care facilities. In the words of Stephens and Harpham (1992) “health outcomes are not only influenced by the environmental conditions but also by the inputs of health services by the characteristics of the population and by the socio-economic conditions in which they live”.

WHO (2002) adopted a gender policy where it acknowledges that sex- the biological facts of being male and female – and gender – the cultural norms that determine masculinity and feminity

– have an imp. Impact on health. The policy considered the fact that there are factors determining health and the burden of ill-health for men & men women. In a given culture, gender norms & values give rise to gender differences and inequalities. For example a women cannot receive health services because her community norms do not allow her to travel alone to the medical clinic or these are societies which do not discourage males from practicing promiscuity that may lead to the infection of STD or HIV at the same time the wives of these males become vulnerable to these infections, because the cultural norms bar them from using condom. Moreover, low status of women in most of the societies restricts them to avail the health care facilities. Again, the locations and opening hours of the health services rarely are well suited to women’s need (Moser, 1593). Again in many societies like India, girl child is more vulnerable than a boy child because her nutritional and health needs receive lower priority within the household. In many parts of the world, discrimination in women’s health begins before birth and stays with them till they die. According to world bank (1991) cited in salterth waiteetal 1995)”. Gender differentials in nutritional status are established during infancy with discriminatory breast feeding and supplementation practices weaned earlier, they may not receive adequate supplementation foods and are given lower quality foods than boys”. The department of gender and women’s health, a wing, of WHO plays a role to increase the awareness of health professionals regarding the role of gender norms, values and inequality in perpetuating disease, disability death and to promote social change with a view to eliminate gender as a barrier to good health.

Moreover, studies also show that women are more vulnerable than men to many of these health problems as they take most of the responsibilities related to bearing & rearing of child and household management (Moser, 1987; Lee-smith and Trujillo, 1992; sapir, 1990; Jordan and Wagner, 1993; Crewe 1995; and obrist etial 2003). Pregnant women are more vulnerable to certain environmental hazards. Every year, about half a million women die of causes related to pregnancy and child birth (UNICEF, 1991). As reported by WHO (1992), “the reproductive process is sensitive to adverse environmental conditions. Every stage of the multi-steps process of reproduction can be disrupted by external environmental agents and this may lead to increased risk of abortion, birth defects, foetal growth retardation and prenatal deaths: Rearing of child also includes caring for the sick and handling and laundering of soiled cloths that are particularly hazardous to health. In addition to all these, a women is exposed to a number of reproductive health problems right from her adolescent period till her death. The magnetic of reproductive and sexual health problem are related to child birth, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and gynecological health (reproductive tract infection, infertility and

menstrual irregularities) which take a heavy toll on women health (Bang et al; 1989; pacturi, 1998, the future of human health in the 21st century depends a great deal on a commitment to investing in women health in world today. Their health largely determines the health of the children, who are the adults of tomorrow (world Health Report, 1998).

4.6 ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS:-

Most of the environmental hazards that affect human health are due to human actions or human inactions. The four most pressing physical environmental problem that have direct bearing on health.

1) Are biological pathogens and their vectors, 2) Chemical pollutants

3) A shortage of particular natural resources 4) Physical hazards.