Book: Health and Environmental Impact Assessment An integrated approach (14 Feb 2014)

Health and Environmental Impact Assessment

An integrated approach

By British Medical Association

Routledge – 1998 – 260 pages

Description:

Health and the environment are intimately linked. Bad environments can cause ill-health, whether it be asthma worsened by air pollution, poisoning by exposure to hazardous substances, injury caused by fast-moving machinery, stress due to noise or social isolation resulting from poorly designed housing developments. Good environments contribute directly to our quality of life and wellbeing. Despite the interdependence of environment and health, these areas have traditionally been addressed separately through healthcare services, public health legislation and environmental protection measures. A pilot study carried out for the BMA found that in planning for new development projects, human health issues are often not adequately addressed. In this important new book, the British Medical Association shows why we need to develop an integrated approach to health and environmental impact assessment of development projects, and how this might be achieved. This approach may also be applied at the strategic level, allowing consideration of the health implications of larger-scale policies, programmes and plans within a wider framework of sustainable development. Concise and authoritative, with numerous case studies and examples, this BMA policy report will be useful for doctors and other health professionals, environmental health officers, planners and consultants, as well as students and researchers in environmental studies, health policy and planning. Originally published in 1998

Content:

List of Figures and Tables Editorial Board Board of Science and Education Working Party Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Introduction The British Medical Association BMA Policy on the Environment Doctors, Human Health and the Environment Aims, Scope and Structure of the Report Chapter 2: Management of the Environment to Safeguard Human Health: the Background Defining the Environment Sustainability Human Health and the Environment UK Institutional Framework for the Protection of the Environment and Health The Government and its Departments The Health and Safety Commission and Executive The Environment Agency The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution Health Authorities and Directors of Public Health Occupational Health Services Local Authorities Non-governmental Organisations and the Private Sector European Action UK National Environmental Health Action Plan Environmental Health Commission: Agendas for Change Planning of New Development Chapter 3: Environmental Impact Assessment: Development and Current UK Provision Introduction Environmental Impact Assessment Strategic Environmental Assessment Social Impact Assessment Health Impact Assessment European EIA and SEA Legislation EIA SEA UK Regulations DETR Guide to Environmental impact Assessment Procedures Risk of Major Incidental Accidents Other Relevant Legislation Conclusion Chapter 4: The Inclusion of Human Health in the Environmental Impact Assessment Process Introduction Incorporating HIA with EIA The EIA Process 1. Screening 2. Scoping 3. Terms of Reference 4. Preparing the EIS 5. Submission and Appraisal of the EIS 6. Negotiation and Risk Management 7. Monitoring and Surveillance Future Needs of HIA Gaining Appropriate Health Information for Future HIA Development of Health Indicators Research Methodology for HIA Operational Research Examples of Possible Health Impacts of UK Projects Example: Manchester Airport inquiry Example: Industrial Pollution Example: Housing and Indoor Air Quality Example: Occupation Examples of the Health Impacts of UK Policy Example: VAT on Domestic Fuel Example: Transport Policy Example: Water Metering Example: Housing Policy Example: Asbestos Example: Out of Town Shopping Example: Disaster Planning Example: Food Policy Chapter 5: Wider Social and Economic Issues The Need for Comprehensive Health Impact Assessment Methodological Guiding Principles Multidisciplinary Participatory Equity-focused Qualitative as Well as Quantitative Multi-method Explicit Values and Politics Public Scrutiny Links with Social and other Impact Assessment The Consequences of Ignoring Health Impact Health Impact Assessment and Health Economics Economics, Health Economics and Concepts of Efficiency Economic Methods for Evaluating Health care Technologies Application of the Methods of Health Economic Evaluation to Health Impact Assessment Department of Health's Guide to Policy Appraisal and Health Health Impact Assessment and Health Economics: Scope for Interdisciplinary Collaboration Chapter 6: Human Health and the Environment: Policies for the Next Millennium Introduction Environmental Health Environmental Impact Assessments The Way Ahead Recommendations National Policies for Environmental and Health Impact Assessment Research The Design and Conduct of ElAs and HlAs Decision-ma king Policies for the Corporate Sector Education and Training Appendix 1: The Evolution of Public Health Legislation Appendix 2: Duties of a Doctor in Occupational Medicine Appendix 3: Recommended Target Maximum Levels for Pollutants Listed in the UK National Air Quality Strategy Appendix 4: Life-cycle Assessment Appendix 5: Environmental Impact Assessment: the Global Scene Appendix 6: Coverage of Impacts on Human Health in UK Environmental Impact Statements: a Review References Index

source from: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415848138/

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China News: Poor lead battery recycling raises fears (12 Dec 2013)

Poor lead battery recycling raises fears

The government should improve policies and formulate measures to better regulate the network for recycling lead-acid storage batteries, a major source of lead pollution, according to a policy research report released in Beijing on Wednesday.

"China is the biggest producer, consumer and exporter of lead-acid storage batteries in the world. More than 2.6 million metric tons of waste lead-acid storage batteries are generated in China every year, but less than 30 percent are reclaimed and processed under official standards," said Shen Xiaoyue, a senior engineer from the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy, a think tank affiliated to the Environmental Protection Ministry and the main producer of the report.

The proportion of such batteries reclaimed in developed countries is usually more than 95 percent.

Lead that leaks into the environment without proper treatment poses significant health threats, especially to children, said Pan Xiaochuan, a professor at Peking University’s School of Public Health.

It can destroy children’s nervous systems, leading to cognitive problems, attention deficit disorder and anemia, said Pan.

At least 10 lead poisoning scandals took place across China from 2007 to 2009, with more than 6,000 children suffering excessive blood lead levels.

"A major source of lead pollution some 20 years ago in China was printing, but as the technology has upgraded, the contribution of waste lead-acid storage batteries has become increasingly prominent," Pan said.

Almost 900,000 tons of waste acid containing lead from lead-acid storage batteries entered the environment untreated from 2008 to 2012, polluting the air, water and soil, said Cao Guoqing, deputy secretary-general of the China Battery Industry Association.

There are already tight restrictions on the recycling, storage and disposal of lead-acid storage batteries, one of 49 types of hazardous waste under special regulation. However, poor management results in chaos in practice, the report said.

"Of the 40-some companies qualified to handle hazardous waste nationwide, only five are authorized to transport and dispose of waste lead-acid storage batteries," Cao said. "But more than half of the waste batteries go to illegal dealers, polluting the environment after they are dismantled haphazardly."

Yang Xiaoming, another senior engineer from the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy, said the main problem is not the small number of legal recyclers, but the huge price difference between legal and illegal dealers, which prompts most waste batteries to be sold to the latter.

"The purchase price offered by illegal dealers can be as high as 7,000 yuan ($1,150) per metric ton, but if my price is higher than 4,000 yuan per ton, I’ll start losing money considering the 200-million-yuan investment I spent on equipment and running costs," said Wan Xuejie, deputy general manager of Shanxi Jitaly Science and Technology Co.

The company is one of the national pilot projects to promote standard recycling of waste lead-acid storage batteries.

The business of collecting waste batteries nationwide and recycling them remains unprofitable, said Wan.

Beijing Eco-island Science and Technology Co, the only qualified battery collector in Beijing, encounters similar problems.

Built to treat 20,000 tons of waste batteries a year, the company can only access 7,000 tons to recycle.

In March 2013, five ministries issued a document that said the rate of standardized recycling of waste lead-acid storage battery would reach 90 percent by 2015.

"With good policy guidance and a legal framework, achieving such a high rate is possible, when everybody in the system is better off. The system in China is not working for anyone right now except for those who operate illegally, so it’s time to act," said David Lennett, senior attorney of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an international environmental NGO headquartered in New York and the other producer of the report

source from: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-12/12/content_30874235.htm

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New Books: Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic Edited by Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, Dawn Bazely, Goloviznina Marina, Andrew Tanentzap (30 Sep 2013)

Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic

Edited by Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, Dawn Bazely, Goloviznina Marina, Andrew Tanentzap

Routledge – 2014 – 288 pages

Descriptions:

This is the first comprehensive exploration of why human security is relevant to the Arctic and what achieving it can mean, covering the areas of health of the environment, identity of peoples, supply of traditional foods, community health, economic opportunities, and political stability. The traditional definition of security has already been actively employed in the Arctic region for decades, particularly in relation to natural resource sovereignty issues, but how and why should the human aspect be introduced? What can this region teach us about human security in the wider world?

The book reviews the potential threats to security, putting them in an analytical framework and indicating a clear path for solutions.Contributions come from natural, social and humanities scientists, hailing from Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Finland and Norway.

Environmental Change and Human Security in the Arctic is an essential resource for policy-makers, community groups, researchers and students working in the field of human security, particularly for those in the Arctic regions.

Contents:

Preface:Remarks by Ambassador Shirley Wolff Serafini at the Human Security in the Arctic Seminar 1. Introduction: Hoogensen Gjørv and Goloviznina 

Part 1: The Diversity of Arctic Security
2. Competing Perceptions of Security in the Arctic Hoogensen Gjørv and Goloviznina3. Cold War Legacies in Russia’s Svalbard Policy Åtland and Pedersen
4. A New Northern Security: Environmental Degradation and Risks, Climate Change, Energy Security, Trans-nationalism and Flows of Globalization and Governance Heininen 

Part 2: Arctic Security in a Changing Environment 5. Arctic Environmental Security and Abrupt Climate ChangeBriggs 6. Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and the Technology Interface David Malcolm 7. The Sustainability Transition: Governing Coupled Human/Natural systems Oran Young 

Part 3: Health and Human Security 8. Health and Human Security Communicable Diseases in the Post-Soviet ArcticRowe, Wilson Rowe and Hønneland 9. Telemedicine as a Tool for Improving Human Security Linstad
10. Health Security vs Economic Security? The Case of KomiHoogensen Gjørv and Goloviznina 

Part 4: Human Security in Focus: Women and Aboriginal Peoples
11. Aboriginal Self-Determination and Resource Development Activity: Improving Human Security in the Canadian Arctic Slowey 12. Human Security and Women's Security in North West Russia Kirsti Stuvøy
13. Democratization in Russia: the Political Exclusion and Commodification of Women Maria Lvova
14. Bridging the GAPS between Ecology and Human Security Dawn R. Bazely, Julia Christensen, Andrew J. Tanentzap, Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv and J. Zoe Wilson Chapter
15: Examining Arctic Security Marina Goloviznina and Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781844075492/

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Report: Climate change to hurt children most (25 Sep 2013)

Climate change to hurt children most

Fiona Harvey, The Guardian
September 25, 2013

Children will bear the brunt of the impact of climate change because of their increased risk of health problems, malnutrition and migration, according to a new study published on Monday. And food prices are likely to soar as a result of warming, undoing the progress made in combating world hunger. 

The findings are published as scientists began meeting in Stockholm to produce the most comprehensive assessment yet of our knowledge of climate change. Over the next five days, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, bringing together the world's leading experts, will thrash out the final details of a message to the world's governments. 

They are expected to warn that climate change is almost certainly caused by human actions, and that it will lead to a global temperature rise likely to top 2C, with related effects including the shrinking of the Arctic ice cap and glaciers, a rise in sea level by nearly 1 meter by the end of this century and more extreme rainfall in parts of the globe. 

Unicef argues that, although children are more vulnerable to the effects of global warming, they have been largely left out of the debate. "We are hurtling towards a future where the gains being made for the world's children are threatened and their health, wellbeing, livelihoods and survival are compromised...despite being the least responsible for the causes," said David Bull, Unicef's UK executive director. "We need to listen to them." 

Children born last year will come of age in 2030, by which time the effects of climate change in the form of an increase in droughts, floods and storms are likely to be more in evidence. In the 10 most vulnerable countries, including Bangladesh, India and the Philippines, there are 620 million children under 18. 

Unicef estimates that 25 million more children will suffer malnourishment because of climate change, with a further 100 million suffering food insecurity, where they and their families are on the verge of running out. Children among the 150-200 million people estimated to have to flee their homes because of climate change will suffer more than adults because of their relative lack of resources and higher vulnerability to disease. In heatwaves, likely to grow more intense and frequent under climate change, babies and small children are more likely to die or suffer heatstroke because they find it difficult to regulate their body heat. 


Kids in a Tsaranoro Valley village, Madagsacar. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. 

Separately, a report by Oxfam warned that global warming would cause rapid rises in food prices, causing severe consequences in poor countries. In pointed contrast to climate skeptics, who have seized on some of the areas of uncertainty in the IPCC assessment to claim that global warming is a far-off and minor problem, Oxfam listed recent examples of extreme weather that have caused food shortages and raised prices, quoting scientific estimates that these are likely to increase in number as warming continues. "Today one person in eight goes to bed hungry. Analysis suggests that the number of people at risk of hunger is projected to increase by 10-20% by 2050 as a result of climate change," the study found. 

The authors cited the 2012 drought in Russia, which cut the grain harvest by a quarter, resulting in grain and bread prices rocketing and many farmers falling into serious debt and hardship. The same year, the worst drought in 50 years in the mid-west of the US cut maize yields by a quarter, leading to a 40% rise in prices. Two years before, the devastating Pakistan floods destroyed 570,000 hectares of crops, and 80% of food stored was lost in some areas. 

Oxfam also cites a study that suggested the 2011 drought in East Africa and famine in Somalia were made more likely by climate change. One of the problems with estimating the future effects of warming is that natural events such as storms, floods and droughts happen anyway and it is hard to blame particular occurrences on global warming. On this, the panel is expected to say on Friday that extreme weather effects are more likely because of climate change but will stop well short of attributing specific events solely to climate change. 

Tim Gore from Oxfam said: "We want a world in which everyone enjoys the right to affordable and nutritious food, and we cannot allow climate change to throw us off course. Leaders listening to the latest findings from climate scientists this week must remember that a hot world is a hungry world. They must take urgent action to slash emissions and direct more resources to building a sustainable food system." 

Original story: Fiona Harvey. Children will bear brunt of climate change impact, new study says. The Guardian - September 22nd, 2013 

Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0925-gen-children-climate.html

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New Books: Introduction to Hazard Control Management A Vital Organizational Function By James T. Tweedy (25 Sep 2013)

Introduction to Hazard Control Management

A Vital Organizational Function

By James T. Tweedy

CRC Press – 2013 – 288 pages

Descriptions:

The International Board for the Certification of Safety Managers (IBFCSM) has designated this text as the Primary Study Reference for those preparing to sit for the Certified Hazard Control Manager (CHCM) and the Certified Hazard Control Manager-Security (CHCM-SEC) Examinations. Introduction to Hazard Control Management: A Vital Organizational Function explains how proven management and leadership principles can improve hazard control and safety management effectiveness in organizations of all types and sizes.

This introductory text addresses hazard control and safety management as organizational functions, instead of just programs. It not only supplies a broad overview of essential concepts—including identifying, analyzing, and controlling hazards—but also promotes the importance of safe behaviors. Written by the Executive Director of IBFCSM, the book covers a broad array of hazards that can exist in most organizations. It focuses on the need to use good leadership, effective communication, and proven management techniques to prevent organizational losses.

• Addresses the inter-relationships of various organizational functions that support hazard control, accident prevention, and safety
• Includes an overview of emergency management, hazardous materials, and fire safety management
• Reviews occupational health, radiation safety, and emerging hazards such as nanotechnology and robotic safety

Emphasizing the importance of effective communication skills in hazard control efforts, this book promotes an understanding of system safety methodologies and organizational culture to help you control hazards, prevent accidents, and reduce other losses in your organization. It expands on the foundational principles contained in the pamphlet: The Management Approach to Hazard Control. This book is an ideal reference for anyone wanting to learn more about managing hazards, encouraging safe behaviors, and leading hazard control efforts.

Contents (selected):

Hazard Control Concepts and Principles

Leadership and Management

Understanding Accidents

Hazard Control—Related Disciplines

Government, Consensus, and Voluntary Organizations

Managing Hazardous Materials

Fire Safety and Emergency Management

Appendices:

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781466551589/

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Events: Building Livable Cities and Healthy Communities: Policy and Planning Approaches for Resilience and Sustainability organized by the Wilson Center on 2 Oct 2013

Events

Building Livable Cities and Healthy Communities: Policy and Planning Approaches for Resilience and Sustainability

October 02, 2013 // 3:00pm — 5:00pm

• Event Speakers

Chronic diseases have surpassed communicable diseases as leading causes of death worldwide.   Enviromental and policy conditions that enable unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and high rates of tobacco underly increasing chronic disease rates.  This makes good health in many communities with developing economies, difficult – if not impossible – to achieve.

ChangeLab Solutions is pioneering a new approach to public health advocacy by building collaboration between public health officials and other local government agencies. Often called health in all policies or shared governance, this collaborative governance model is garnering attention at the World Health Organization and other nongovernmental organizations dedicated to addressing the social determinants of health and fostering healthy, resilient and sustainable environments in which the healthy choice is the easy choice.

By creating good laws and policies that link housing, education, jobs, and the built environment to healthy outcomes – and by working with communities to implement them – ChangeLab Solutions is helping to create places where people have easy access to affordable and healthy food, safe and easily accessible places to live and play, plenty of opportunities to bike, walk, or take transit, fresh water, and clean air indoors and out.

ChangeLab Solutions works with neighborhoods, cities, and states to transform communities with laws and policies that create lasting change. Its unique approach, backed by decades of solid research and proven results, helps the public and private sectors make communities more livable, especially for those who are at highest risk because they have the fewest resources.

A panel of experts will discuss innovative law and policy solutions for creating healthier neighborhoods, cities. Speakers will identify environmental change solutions for diseases like diabetes, obesity, asthma, and lung cancer. This seminar will showcase the latest in research and practice on how best to incorporate legal and policy tools into public health strategies.

LOCATION: 

5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center

DIRECTIONS TO THE WILSON CENTER

 

Event Speakers List: 

• Robert Ogilvie //
  Vice President for Strategic Engagement, ChangeLab Solutions
• Jon L. Gant //
  Director of Office for Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Robin Schepper //
  Senior Advisor, Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, Bipartisan Policy Center
• Victor K. Barbiero //
  Visiting Professor, School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University

For more information: 
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/building-livable-cities-and-healthy-communities-policy-and-planning-approaches-for-resilience

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Events: Building Livable Cities and Healthy Communities: Policy and Planning Approaches for Resilience and Sustainability organized by THE WILSON CENTER on 2 Oct 2013

Events

Building Livable Cities and Healthy Communities: Policy and Planning Approaches for Resilience and Sustainability

October 02, 2013 // 3:00pm — 5:00pm

Chronic diseases have surpassed communicable diseases as leading causes of death worldwide.   Enviromental and policy conditions that enable unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and high rates of tobacco underly increasing chronic disease rates.  This makes good health in many communities with developing economies, difficult – if not impossible – to achieve.

ChangeLab Solutions is pioneering a new approach to public health advocacy by building collaboration between public health officials and other local government agencies. Often called health in all policies or shared governance, this collaborative governance model is garnering attention at the World Health Organization and other nongovernmental organizations dedicated to addressing the social determinants of health and fostering healthy, resilient and sustainable environments in which the healthy choice is the easy choice.

By creating good laws and policies that link housing, education, jobs, and the built environment to healthy outcomes – and by working with communities to implement them – ChangeLab Solutions is helping to create places where people have easy access to affordable and healthy food, safe and easily accessible places to live and play, plenty of opportunities to bike, walk, or take transit, fresh water, and clean air indoors and out.

ChangeLab Solutions works with neighborhoods, cities, and states to transform communities with laws and policies that create lasting change. Its unique approach, backed by decades of solid research and proven results, helps the public and private sectors make communities more livable, especially for those who are at highest risk because they have the fewest resources.

A panel of experts will discuss innovative law and policy solutions for creating healthier neighborhoods, cities. Speakers will identify environmental change solutions for diseases like diabetes, obesity, asthma, and lung cancer. This seminar will showcase the latest in research and practice on how best to incorporate legal and policy tools into public health strategies.

LOCATION: 

5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center

DIRECTIONS TO THE WILSON CENTER

 

Event Speakers List: 

• Robert Ogilvie //
  Vice President for Strategic Engagement, ChangeLab Solutions
• Jon L. Gant //
  Director of Office for Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Robin Schepper //
  Senior Advisor, Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, Bipartisan Policy Center
• Victor K. Barbiero //
  Visiting Professor, School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University

For more information: 

http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/building-livable-cities-and-healthy-communities-policy-and-planning-approaches-for-resilience

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Study: "Air pollution linked to over 2 million deaths each year" published in Environmental Research Letters (13 Jul 2013)

Air pollution linked to over 2 million deaths each year

Xinhua, July 13, 2013

U.S. researchers claimed Friday that human-caused outdoor air pollution may be responsible for over two million deaths worldwide each year.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, estimated that around 470,000 people die each year because of human-caused increases in ozone.

It also estimated that around 2.1 million deaths are caused each year by human-caused increases in fine particulate matter, tiny particles suspended in the air that can penetrate deep into the lungs, causing cancer and other respiratory disease.

"Our estimates make outdoor air pollution among the most important environmental risk factors for health," co-author of the study, Jason West, from the University of North Carolina, said in a statement. "Many of these deaths are estimated to occur in East Asia and South Asia, where population is high and air pollution is severe."

In their study, the researchers simulated the concentrations of ozone and fine particulate matter in 1850, when the industrial era began, and in the year 2000. A total of 14 models simulated levels of ozone and six models simulated levels of fine particulate matter.

According to the study, the number of these deaths that can be attributed to changes in the climate since the industrial era is, however, relatively small.

It estimated that a changing climate results in 1,500 deaths due to ozone and 2,200 deaths related to fine particulate matter each year.

Climate change affects air quality in many ways, possibly leading to local increases or decreases in air pollution, it said. For instance, temperature and humidity can change the reaction rates which determine the formation or lifetime of a pollutant, and rainfall can determine the time that pollutants can accumulate.

Higher temperatures can also increase the emissions of organic compounds from trees, which can then react in the atmosphere to form ozone and particulate matter, said the study.

"Very few studies have attempted to estimate the effects of past climate change on air quality and health. We found that the effects of past climate change are likely to be a very small component of the overall effect of air pollution," West added.

Source: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-07/13/content_29411327.htm

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Chinese Updates: Coal burning in N China shortens lifespan (9 Jul 2013)

Coal burning in N China shortens lifespan

China.org.cn, July 9, 2013

A study says that China's long-term policy of burning coal to provide heating for residents in the north has cut people's life expectancy by 5.5 years there, according to Monday's report on the BBC website.

A study says that China's long-term policy of burning coal to provide heating for residents in the north has cut people's life expectancy by 5.5 years there. [File photo]

The study, which was conducted by researchers from China, Israel and the United States, was published on June 8 on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences website (PNAS.org). It reads the air pollution in northern China, caused by coal burning, is 55 percent higher than that found in the south, consequently shortening the life expectancy of the northerners by 5.5 years.

From 1950 to 1980, China maintained a policy of handing out free coal for fuel boilers to provide indoor heating to cities located north of the Huai River, which divides China into north and south. Although the policy was no longer implemented after 1980, it left behind a legacy of coal burning across northern China.

The researchers collected data on the annual daily average concentration of total suspended particulates (TSPs) from 90 Chinese cities over a time period of two decades (1981 to 2000). After that, they analyzed the mortality statistics from 1991 to 2000, and subsequently found evidence of shorter life expectancy in the previously "free coal" areas.

Previous studies showed air pollution has a negative impact on human health, yet this new research answers a more important question -- life expectancy is affected by air pollution, according to Michael Greenstone, a professor of environmental economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the study's authors.

Source: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-07/09/content_29371105.htm

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Japanese Updates: FY2011 Annual Report of Environmental Health Surveillance for Air Pollution (May 2013)

FY2011 Annual Report of Environmental Health Surveillance for Air Pollution

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has been implementing environmental health surveillance for air pollution every year since 1996 in response to the amendment of the Pollution related Health Damage Compensation Law (amendment to the Law Concerning Special Measures for the Relief of Pollution related Health Damage) of 1988. It aims to regularly and continuously observe the correlation between the health conditions of local populations and air pollution, and to take measures as necessary. The results of the FY2011 surveillance have been compiled and are presented below: 

1. Overview of the Surveillance Result 
The FY2011 surveillance targeted 3-year-old children (hereinafter, "3-year-old survey") and first-year primary school children (hereinafter, "6-year-old survey") as in previous years. A cross-sectional analysis was performed using the results of these surveys (FY2011), and a longitudinal analysis was performed using the integrated results of 3-year-old surveys from FY1996 to FY2011 and 6-year-old surveys from FY2004 to FY2011. Additionally, a follow-up analysis was performed on 6-year-old respondents who also responded to the 3-year-old survey conducted in FY2007 and FY2008. 

The 3-year-old survey targeted approximately 89,000 3-year-old children in 37 regions throughout Japan (74,000 respondents), and the 6-year-old survey targeted approximately 85,000 6-year-old children in 38 regions throughout Japan (73,000 respondents). 

Among the respiratory symptoms surveyed, the results of analyses relating to asthma were such that in both the 3-year-old and 6-year-old surveys, there was no indication that higher air pollutant concentrations led to higher asthma prevalence, neither in terms of respiratory symptom prevalence at each background concentration level for each subject group nor in the correlation between average background concentration and respiratory symptom prevalence in each survey area for each subject group. An examination of odds ratios showed no significant correlation between air pollutants and asthma prevalence, either. The correlation between air pollutant concentrations and yearly changes in respiratory symptom prevalence was also examined, but the result showed no regions where air pollution may have caused an increase in asthma prevalence. A similar examination was conducted in regard to incidence rate (excluding an analysis of yearly changes), but again, no significant correlation was found between the two. 

With respect to symptoms other than asthma, the frequency of catching a cold (more than five time) tended to increase with higher air pollutant concentrations (NO2, NOX), but the same trend was not observed with cases of wheezing (both associated and not associated with a cold). 

2. Future Issues 
A significant correlation between air pollution (SPM) and asthma has been observed in some previous surveys of 3-year-olds and 6-year-olds, but as with last year's survey, no significant correlation was observed in this year's survey. The result still cannot be seen as indicating a certain trend, but careful observations will be continued. 

In response to an increasing social interest in the environmental quality standards for PM2.5 that were promulgated in September 2009, a continuous surveillance system is currently being developed, so based on the progress of its development, studies of PM2.5 will be made as needed, also in reference to SPM. 

Additionally, in regard to growing concerns about the influence of photochemical oxidants on people's health, a close watch will be kept on future developments, including the status of issuance of warnings and revisions of standards in foreign countries. 

Meanwhile, as it has been pointed out in the report on the Result of the Epidemiological Study of the Health Effects of Localized Air Pollution (SORA Project ; an initial letter of "Study On Respiratory disease and Automobile exhaust") that the scientific findings and results accumulated by the SORA Project should be utilized fully for even more effective surveillance, a working group has been established under the Council for Environmental Health Surveillance and Health Effects of Localized Air Pollution in Japan in FY2012. The working group has just recently commenced its work, and will continue to pursue its agenda hereafter. 

Attached File:

• FY2011 Annual Report of Environmental Health Surveillance for Air Pollution
• <Reference>FY2011 Survey areas
• Corrections to the FY2010 Annual Report of Environmental Health Surveillance for Air Pollution

For more information: http://www.env.go.jp/en/headline/headline.php?serial=1971

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New Books: Health and Climate Change Modelling the impacts of global warming and ozone depletion By Pim Martens (1 Jun 2013)

Health and Climate Change

Modelling the impacts of global warming and ozone depletion

By Pim Martens

Published 1st June 2013 by Routledge – 204 pages

Descriptions:

'Understanding how complex ecological and climatic change can influence human health is the new challenge before us. The book confronts these multidimensional risk assessments head-on and will catalyse the important interdisciplinary and integrated approach that is the new paradigm now required for environmental and public health research.' Dr JONATHAN PATZ Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health 'This book provides a sturdy foundation for thinking about how best to tackle a varied spectrum of population health hazards posed by different aspects and combinations of global change processes? it alsogoes that extra mile by estimating the attributable population burdens of disease or mortality that are likely to result from these aspects of global change. It is heartening to see the results of this mathematical modeling being presented in policy-relevant terms.' From the Foreword by TONY McMICHAEL Health and Climate Change is the first major study of the potentially devastating health impacts of the global atmospheric changes which are under way. Using the best available data, the author presents models of the most plausible future courses of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and schistosomiasis; skin cancer caused by nozone depletion; and cardiovascular and respiratory disorders caused by higher temperatures. Current epidemiological research methods are not well adapted to analysing complex systems influenced by human intervention, or more simple processes calculated to take place within the distant future. Health and Climate Change proposes a new paradigm of integrated eco-epidemiological models for these areas of study. It will be essential reading for those concerned with public health and epidemiology, environmental studies, climate change and development studies. Originally published in 1998

Contents:

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables List of Boxes Foreword by Tony McMichael Preface 

1. Introduction The Issue Scope and Objectives Outline
2. An Eco-Epidemiological Modelling Approach Introduction Limitations of Conventional Epidemiology Eco-Epidemiological Modelling Discussion
3. Climate Change and Vector-Borne Diseases Introduction The Vectors and Their Diseases Epidemic Potential Climate Effects Malaria Prevalence Climate Scenarios Changes in Potential Risk Areas Changes in Malaria Prevalence Local Estimates: Model Validation Model Limitations and Uncertainties Discussion and Conclusions
4. Modelling Malaria as a Complex Adaptive System Introduction The Genetic Algorithm Modelling Adaptation by Genetic Algorithms Modelling Experiments Discussion and Conclusions
5. Climate Change, Thermal Stress and Morality Changes Introduction Health Impact Assessment Thermal Stress in a Number of Cities Cardiovascular Mortality and Sensitivity to Adaptation Discussion and Conclusions
6. The Impact of Ozone Depletion on Skin Cancer Incidence Introduction Modelling the Cause-Effect Chain Ozone Depletion and Skin Cancer Risk in the Netherlands and Australia Uncertainties Discussion and Conclusions
7. Discussion and Conclusions Introduction Major Findings Future Research lines Epilogue References Index

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415848800/

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