The Nature of Science 15.4 Factors affecting human health
Inherited factors Genetic illnesses As you learned in Chapter 12, our genes carry the code from which we are built. Genetic illnesses are caused by faulty genes. Examples of these are: cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, haemophilia and sickle cell anaemia.
Science in Society
Choose a genetic illness and research the progress that scientists have made in treating this disease.
Scientists have also discovered that having faulty copies of certain genes can give someone a higher chance of getting some illnesses. For example a woman with a faulty copy of the BRCA1 gene has a much higher chance of getting breast cancer or ovarian cancer in her lifetime. Genetic screening is a method used to test a person for these genes. If they have these genes, regular cancer screening can be used for early detection and treatment of the disease.
Environmental factors Our health is dramatically affected by the environment in which we live. Below are just a few of the environmental factors which affect our health.
Air quality When we burn certain fossil fuels in our homes and in factories they produce a lot of smoke and other substances which can lead to environmental problems such as smog and acid rain. Smoke mixes with fog to produce smog. When people breathe in smog their lungs become irritated. This can trigger asthma attacks, bronchitis and lung cancer. The ban on burning smoky fuels in large towns and cities in Ireland has had a positive effect on the air we breathe. Likewise the law requiring all cars to be fitted with catalytic converters and the introduction of the National Car Test (NCT) to check exhaust emissions have also had a positive effect on air quality.
Fig. 9 City smog. 160
Fig. 8 The actress Angelina Jolie has a faulty copy of the BRCA1 gene.
