ESM 104- Introduction to Environmental Health System

The term “environment” according to Alan Gilpin (1976) in his book entitled “Dictionary of Environmental Terms” is the region, surroundings or circumstances in which anything exists; everything external to the organisms. The environment or an organism according to him includes: i. The purely physical or abiotic milieu in which it exists, e.g. geographical location, climatic conditions, and terrain. ii. The organic or biotic milieu including non-living organic matter and all other organisms, plants and animals in the region including the particular population to which the organism belongs Strictly speaking, the effective environment is everything external to the organism which effects the fulfillment of that organism. The environment of the human being includes: the abiotic factors of land, water, atmosphere, climates, sound, odours, and tastes; the basic factors of animals, plants, bacteria and viruses and the social factor of aesthetics.