Environmental Risks to Health

Abstract

This chapter focuses on environmental risk to health in the study sites. Environmental exposures and contaminants are assessed through testing of chemical and biological contaminants using test strips, undertaking participatory hazard mapping activities on perceived dangerous and safe places for migrants’ health, and survey on the perception of the effects of the environment on food safety and its correlation with receipt of foodborne diseases information. Results from the chemical and biological contaminant tests show that many households sampled in the slums in both countries have high levels of heavy metals and bacteria pollutants in their nondrinking water that may be dangerous for health. The participatory hazard mapping activities showed migrants’ perceptions of their places of residence and environmental risks to health. Place characteristics and its relationship with perceptions of environmental risk to health were apparent. For instance, the presence of the unkept surroundings of the abattoir in James Town determined the kinds of risks and associated diseases, whereas the soap factory in Kinawataka influenced perception of risks in that place of residence for migrants. However, we observe that migrants demonstrated limited knowledge of diseases that may be associated with the environmental hazards in their neighborhoods.