Sanitation (sanit.) and Human Health

Sanitation is the hygienic means of preventing human contact from the hazards of wastes to promote health.



The term sanit. can be applied to a specific aspect, concept, location, or strategy, such as:

• Basically it's refers to the management of human feces at the household level. This terminology is the indicator used to describe the target of the Millennium Development Goal on sanit.

• On site sanit. the collection and treatment of waste is done where it is deposited. Examples are the use of pit latrines and septic tanks.

• Food sanit. refers to the hygienic measures for ensuring food safety.

• Environmental sanit. the control of environmental factors that form links in disease transmission. Subsets of this category are solid waste management, water and wastewater treatment, industrial waste treatment and noise and pollution control.

• Ecological sanit. a concept and an approach of recycling to nature the nutrients from human and animal wastes.



Hazards can be either

• physical,

• microbiological,

• biological

• Or chemical agents of disease.



Wastes that can cause health problems are

• human and animal feces,

• solid wastes,

• domestic wastewater (sewage, sludge, grey water),

• industrial wastes,

• and agricultural wastes.



Hygienic means of prevention can be by using engineering solutions

• (e.g. sewerage and wastewater treatment),

• simple technologies (e.g. latrines, septic tanks),

• Or even by personal hygiene practices (e.g. simple hand washing with soap).






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