loping countries. Thus, rising income results in more and better food, housing and clothing. The wealthier also tend to be better educated and more informed about the disease process and thus are able to maintain healthy. Poverty also influences health because it largely determines an individual's risk as well as access to resources to deal with those risks. Globally, the greatest environmental health threats tend to be those closest to home. More than 1 billion people in developing countries live without adequate shelter, more than 1.4 billion lack access to safe water, and more than 2.9 billion have no access to adequate sanitation. Inside smoky dwellings of developing countries, air pollution is often higher than it is outdoors in the world's most congested cities. In these settlements, garbage collection is often nonexistent and drainage tends to be poor, creating ideal conditions for insects and other diseases. In some countries, the poor often face health risks related to economic growth. Studies suggest have shown that hazardous waste sites or polluting industries are indeed concentrated in low-income or minority areas. For example, urban slums may be located near major roads, factories or dumpsites, exposing residents to higher levels of air pollution. According to WHO, worm infections are on the rise in urban slums and shantytowns of the developing world. The global economy is burgeoning. (WRI) Although the developed countries account for a majority of the share of this wealth, economic growth in developing countries has been tremendous. The liberalization of both trade and investment across borders has helped fuel this economic growth. Such economic growth creates resource and opportunities for improving the quality of living conditions, which is essential to good health. In some developing countries, continued population growth and poverty have thwarted economic and social progress. The most rapid populati...
