Environmental Health Conference discusses more topics on environmental health threats

Presentation of the first draft of the National Strategy and Plan of Action for Environment and Health for UAE will be also discussed during the last day of the conference, which is being organized by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and the World Health Organization's Regional Centre for Environmental Health Activities (WHO/CEHA).

On the conference third day Healthy Homes: Environmental Hazards and Prevention Strategies was the title of the first session. Dr. Eileen McNeely form Harvard School of Public Health said in her presentation that a by-product of the 1970's energy crisis that focused interest in reducing ventilation rates and increasing insulation was the increase in hazards in the home. By the 1980s, problems with formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, asbestos, radon, second hand tobacco smoke emerged as indoor pollution problems and large-scale studies demonstrated that building design, ventilation, material selections, and operations could influence the health of occupants. Sick Building Syndrome emerged as a complex of symptoms related to certain building conditions.

Since this time, researchers have demonstrated ways to mitigate health problems through higher ventilation rates, better air cleaning, and reduced humidity. In addition, many interventions have shown moderate success in reducing symptoms. For example, by reducing exposures to second hand smoke, allergen and PM2.5 particulate matter, asthma symptoms can be minimized.

Dr. Adnan A. Hyder, Associate Professor in the Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University highlighted in his paper Injuries and the Urban Environment: Imperatives for the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

He said injuries are among the leading causes of death and disability throughout the world, and injury rates are highest among middle- and low-income countries. Injury prevention has high potential gain for society because interventions disproportionately reduce death and disability. A systematic approach to injury prevention can help identify the most effective and efficient approaches. Key to these efforts is the recognition of the relationship between injuries and the environment.

He reviewed existing state of knowledge to define the burden of injuries globally and in the Middle Eastern region using both mortality and disability adjusted life years.

Robert Bos, Director of WHO Water, Sanitation and Health Unit presented a paper on Environmental Health Impact Assessment. He said Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a combination of procedures, methods and tools that systematically judges the potential, and sometimes unintended effects of a policy, plan, programme or project of the health of a population and the distribution of these effects within the population. HIA identifies appropriate actions to manage those effects.

He said the Eastern Mediterranean Region of WHO has special characteristics that define the needs for EHIA and the opportunities for capacity building. At this time of economic downturn, most planners and decision makers will have pushed environmental and health concerns to the back of their minds. Yet this is a moment of opportunity to introduce EHIA in development planning through minimum policy and regulatory frameworks which allow to deal with health impacts in an efficient way to the benefit of vulnerable groups, the health sector and development proponents themselves.

Finally, the day concluded with a presentation for Kevin Teichman, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science, Office of Research and Development U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Progress in Children's Environmental Health Protection in USA.

He said safeguarding children from the harmful effects of toxic substances, and encouraging safe and healthy childhood environments, are top priorities for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

He said, "Over the past decade, EPA has established streams of communication with its federal partners as well as university- and community-based researchers. Taken together, these activities are both indicative of the progress EPA has made in, and demonstrative of EPA's ongoing commitment to, improving children's environmental health."