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1/4 of all disease caused by environmental factors

A new World Health Organisation report concludes that 24% of global disease is caused by environmental exposure and therefore could be avoided.

The figures are even higher when children are concerned as 33% of diseases in children under the age of 5 are of environmental origin.

Entitled "Preventing disease through healthy environments", the report aims to be a comprehensive study of environmental hazards contributing to a wide range of diseases and injuries.

The authors estimate that more than 13 million deaths annually are due to preventable environmental causes. The four main diseases influenced by poor environments are diarrhoea, respiratory infections, unintentional injuries and malaria - malaria and diarrhoea being two of the main childhood killers.

It concludes that cost-effective measures could be implemented to prevent and avoid this additional burden of disease.

Last modified on July 21 2006.

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15 August 2007 20:59, by nancy Belfry

1/4 of all disease caused by environmental factors

A very interesting article, 1/4 of all disease is caused by environmental factors.

I am a product of my environment. I was born at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada. Conceived, born and lived there until the age of seven. 1.3 million litres plus 2 million pounds of dioxin and hexachlorobenezene chemicals were sprayed from fixed winged aircraft and helicopters. As the U.S. named them "Agent orange, Agent White.

I live with numberous illnesses caused by the spraying of these deadly cancer causing chemicals.

Thousands of Canadians have been affected. Thousands have died.

Please sign our petition asking for a public inquiry into the spraying of Gagetown http://www.petitiononline.com/aoalert

Thank you. Nancy Belfry

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