Environmental health policy is governmental action intended to prevent exposure to environmental hazards or to "eliminate the effects of exposure to environmental hazards".
Several environmental policy issues affect people's health, including policies that affect access to clean air and water, policies that ensure sanitation and hygiene, provide labels for safe use of chemicals, support workplace safety, a health-supportive built environment, and sustainable agriculture. Environmental dangers to health include climate change, air pollutants and water pollution, certain chemicals and biological agents, noise, radiation, unsafe workplaces, and poor agricultural practices, among many others.
Environmental health policy can be implemented at many levels of government, including at the municipal, state, and international levels. International environmental health policies involve the cooperation of several countries to implement mutual policy goals to address larger environmental health issues, such as pollution and climate change (i.e., Kyoto Protocol).
Environmental factors Increasing temperatures is one environmental factor that contributes to the health of the global community. Climate change is the long-term rising and/or dropping of temperatures and the deviation of weather patterns over time. As a result of climate change, the Canadian Arctic has increased in temperature by three or four degrees. As the warming of the Northern Arctic continues, snow and ice melt, and runoff enters bodies of water, increasing the amount of pathogens that enter the fresh water.
With increasing extreme weather trends, vector and water-borne diseases, as well as allergies become more prevalent. These infectious diseases and what spreads them (mosquitoes, tics, etc.) rely upon the environment to reproduce and survive. The spread of these diseases is severely affected by weather fluctuations.
air pollutants also has an influence on health, and has become a challenging issue over time as developing nations experience higher birth rates and lower death rates. An increased population in these regions requires more resources to sustain it. Air pollution comes in two forms: emission and transmission. These pollutants come from various sources, such as modes of transportation, the burning of fossil fuels, or naturally from the ground.
Rising sea levels also has a large effect on public health, and is caused by the melting of large glacier ice without refreezing. If the glacier icecaps start melting at a faster rate, sea levels will continue to rise. Additionally, when temperatures increase, water molecules expand and require more space. As sea levels rise the shoreline begins to expand and, in serious cases, displaces people causing them to become environmental refugeess. Rising sea levels also begin to affect valuable agricultural land used for food and other products. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 40 cm by the 2080s, which would put 200 million people at risk.
Health risks Health risks resulting from the environment are starting to affect people around the globe. It is estimated that increasing temperatures over the past 30 years has resulted in the deaths of 150,000 people each year. Europe in the summer of 2003 experienced higher than normal temperatures, resulting in approximately 22,000 to 45,000 deaths in the span of two weeks. This has been the worst effect of climate change in recent history. Increasing rates of extreme temperature are directly related to increased mortality. Some of the health risks that come with extreme temperatures are heat stress, cardiovascular failure, and hypothermia, etc.
Temperature also affects the malaria parasites that live in mosquitoes. Their ability to incubate is affected, as well as how likely the mosquitoes are to blood feed. Mosquitoes thrive in the transmission of parasites where temperatures do not exceed 25 degrees Celsius. Excessive rain, which is becoming more frequent amongst many countries, acts as the perfect breeding site for the aquatic beginning of a mosquito's life. Malaria is a vector-borne disease that is extremely prevalent in Africa, and puts billions of people at risk of contracting the virus. Due to a lack of sufficient healthcare where the disease is most concentrated, many people die. The environment is a huge contributor to the success malaria has in transmitting the disease.
One of the more common health risks that people encounter is a result of air pollutants and air quality. Allergic asthma is a chronic disease that affects an individual's inflammatory system when they are exposed to allergens, resulting in shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. Environmental factors such as air pollutants, tobacco smoke, emission fumes, and other allergens in the air are said to have an influence on allergic asthma when absorbed through the body.
Climate change can affect humans' respiratory health by aggravating respiratory disease or increasing exposure to potential risks of the disease. Climate change can affect the respiratory system by the amount of pollen and allergens in the air, mold proliferation, and the effects of the ozone layer. The increase of temperatures results in putting a strain on the respiratory system, often causing asthma and other lung diseases. Some of the health risks that are closely related to the respiratory system are asthma, rhinosinusitis, respiratory tract infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Perspectives
Municipal level
Hamilton, Ontario (Canada) The Hamilton steel mill region has had higher levels of air pollution than the rest of the city. The effect of air pollution in the region has resulted in the spending of $537 million per year on health care and other associated costs. Many health issues that arise with air pollution in Hamilton are premature death, respiratory problems, and cardiovascular problems. Hamilton is taking the initiative to spread awareness around environmental issues with the implementation of yearly summits. Vision 2020 is a community-based development program which encourages community reporting of environmental issues, influencing policy.
Rochester, New York (United States of America) In 2005, the city of Rochester enacted a rental housing-based lead law when the incidence of childhood lead poisoning was rising. The new amendment to the housing code requires a lead inspection of rental properties built before 1978, with a focus on deteriorating paint within and outside the house. The law requires property owners to remove any lead based paint and dust from the premises and obtain a certificate of occupancy before they are able to rent out the property again. In order to keep compliance with the law, Rochester allows owners to be trained in lead safe repair work so Environmental Protection Agency workers are not required to correct violations.
Harlem, New York (United States of America) Harlem, along with many areas of the United States, has taken on a community based participatory research method to examine environmental health policy. The West Harlem Environmental Action Inc. and Columbia University's Centre for Children's Environmental Health studied the effects of diesel pollution on the environment, and provided the results to the government, which transformed their environmental health policies to accommodate the results. Respiratory health was the main concern for the policy change, which was traced back to particular matter and carbon within local diesel sources. Harlem reconstructed their bus fleet system by using clean diesel and installation of permanent air monitors to control the amount of air pollution created by buses.
Sao Paulo, Brazil The metropolitan area of São Paulo has dealt with issues of air and water pollution created by motor vehicles and inadequate treatment of sewage. Infectious and parasitic diseases, circulatory diseases, and respiratory problems have all been a concern in São Paulo. The city uses data linkages (HEADLAMP) between the environment and health in order to influence future policies. Air pollution has been improved marginally in regard to industrial pollution, but motor vehicle traffic creates the largest amount of sulphur dioxide emissions. Water treatment plants have not grown to accommodate the growing population, but piped water and sanitation facilities have been expanding. Impacts of the environment on health have been felt more in the poorer areas of the city compared to the wealthier sectors.
State level
Developed nations
Canada Canada has dealt with lead exposure for decades, decreasing since the 1970s with the phasing out of lead paint and gasoline. While there has been a decrease in lead poisoning, there are still cases of exposure to lead from paint and old pipes in homes. Lead exposure is more harmful for pregnant women and children, making them more prone to poisoning. Lead was listed as a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The government implemented regulations against lead to foster a healthy environment.
The First Nations and Inuit Health Branch attempts to ensure that these communities are given equal access to health services comparable to those in similar locations of Canada. Health Canada defines a health environment to include safe water, food, maintained housing and facilities, disposal of waste, and the ability to prevent and control disease. The Environmental Public Health Program is implemented in several aboriginal communities, customized to specific needs including food security, clean water sources, and improving poor housing conditions.
United States The United States has several policies to deal with chemical exposure, air quality, energy, oil pollution, and safe drinking water. Public exposure to chemicals can have effects on the body including cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma and obesity. Those who work in industrial and agriculture sectors are more prone to exposure, but children, pregnant women, and those with chronic medical conditions are also at a higher risk of exposure. The United States has implemented the Toxic Substances Control Act to deal with chemical exposure and ensure chemicals are safe and citizens are minimally affected.
The EPA is developing clean diesel fuels and biodiesel to deal with air pollution caused by motor vehicle emissions. These types of emissions can affect respiratory health, the risk of cancer, and increased medical costs for the population. In 2013, transportation accounted for more than half of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides produced in the environment. The country has also implemented vehicle emission standards to cut pollution from motor vehicles.
Norway Norway has several environmental regulations dealing with pollution, water and air quality. There are also policies in place to protect citizen's health and well-being in general, and in the workplace. Workplaces must ensure they have measures to prevent or contain pollution, along with voluntarily preparing environmental impact statements that are available to pollution control authority. If facilities produce carbon dioxide emissions, then they must apply for a discharge permit and report yearly emissions to pollution control authorities. Norway attempts to protect its water sources from contamination by ensuring facilities implement measures that cause the least amount of harm or inconvenience to the public or corporations. The government puts policies in place to ensure the safety of employee health at all levels, and takes action on any hazards within the workplace that would put health at risk.
Turkey