How the Environment Affects Our Health Video Transcript

[Title card appears with text and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry logo. Text on screen: “How the Environment Affects Our Heath.” Slow music begins.]

Narrator: Over the past few years, you’ve probably seen severe weather events in the news. 

[Screen transitions to an animated figure standing in front of a window. The view outside the window changes a few times to represent extreme weather, including a cloudy sky, rain and lightning, a smoky sky, a blizzard, and a sunny sky.]

Narrator: Maybe you’ve even experienced natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, or snowstorms. Because our planet’s climate — or weather —is changing, severe weather is happening more often. And temperatures are rising in many places around the world. Climate change is just one way that our environment affects our health. The air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the places where we live, work, and play all have an impact on our health.   

[Screen transitions and a red thermometer indicating a hot temperature appears next to the figure, and they wipe sweat from their brow. The text “Food”, “Water”, and “Live, work and play” appear above their head. The figure starts walking towards the front door. They see paint on the wall next to the front door. They touch the wall, then immediately move their hand away.]

Narrator: For example, some people live, work, or go to school in older buildings that have lead paint. Lead is a substance that can cause serious health problems — especially for young children.  

[Screen transitions to the figure going outside for a walk. They start coughing and reach for their inhaler.]

Narrator: Poor air quality is another way the environment can affect our health. When there’s pollution in the air, it’s especially dangerous for people with asthma.

[Screen transitions to the animated figure standing outside. The list of examples appears on the screen next to them. They turn towards the list.]

Narrator: The environment affects our health in many other ways, like unsafe food and water, mold, radon, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

[Screen transitions to a lightbulb appearing over the figure’s head, and they pull up the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice website on their phone. We zoom in on the website. The text “Learn more at www.cdc.gov/ephtracking” appears above the figure’s head.]

Narrator: The good news is, there are simple steps you can take to protect your health. You can learn more about the environmental health of your community by visiting CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. View local, timely information on topics like air quality, drinking water, extreme heat, radon, and more. Use tools designed to help communities prepare for and respond to environmental health threats like extreme heat events.

[Screen transitions and the text above the figure’s head changes to “Learn more at www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehsp/ehnexus”. The webpage on their phone changes to the CDC’s Environmental Health Nexus.]

Narrator: For the latest CDC environmental health news, see CDC’s Environmental Health Nexus. CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health offers tools and information to help you protect yourself from everyday environmental health risks.

[Screen transitions and the link above the figure’s head disappears. As the narrator reads the example resources, bubbles pop up above the screen. There’s a bubble with a graphic of an inhaler, a bubble with a paint brush, and another bubble with a checklist.]

Narrator: You can find resources like asthma action plans, tips on preventing lead poisoning, emergency plan to prepare for natural disasters, and more! Learn more about how the environment affects our health — and how you can stay safe and healthy — at www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehsp. 

[Text appears with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry logo. Text: “Learn more at www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehsp”]