environment

European Parliament Public Health Committee votes on Serious Health Threats proposal

On Wednesday 10 October 2012 the European Parliament’s Committee for the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) voted to adopt the draft report prepared by MEP Gilles Pargneaux (S&D, France) on serious cross border threats to health. The report makes a number of amendments to the European Commission’s proposal for a Decision of the Parliament and the Council, but broadly supports the Commission’s aims and objectives. The Commission proposal seeks to extend (...)

Active and Healthy Ageing: A Challenge for the EU to Create Age-Friendly Environments

EPHA participated in a workshop dedicated to Active and Healthy Ageing which took place in the European Parliament on 8 October 2012. The event’s speakers highlighted the importance of building the right physical environment, social factors and the health literacy in respect of having a healthy and active old age. The hosting MEP, Ms. Katika Tamara LIOTARD (NL-GUE/NGL), highlighted the need to see the issue of healthy ageing as a policy issue, stressing the European year for Active (...)

The neglected health dimension of climate change in the UK

According to a recent report published by the British Health Protection Agency (HPA), the health risks from climate change in the UK may have serious public health impacts in the country. "Every century has its own public health challenges - climate change is our century’s challenge," said Dr Margaret Chan, Director General WHO “There is no doubt that climate change poses a wide range of challenges to public health in the UK ... from increased risks of heatwaves through to (...)

Workshop on pharmaceutical products and their impact on the environment from a public health perspective

On 19 September 2012, BIO IS (Intelligent Service) organised a technical workshop (attended by EPHA) on the legislative and non-legislative factors influencing the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment. According to two recent pieces of legislation (Directive 2010/84/EU and (Regulation 1235/2010/EU) on the applicable rules on pharmaceuticals, the pollution of waters and soils with pharmaceutical residues is not only an emerging environmental problem - it may also have a significant (...)

HEAL workshop on Chronic Diseases and Endocrine Disruptors - Brussels, Sept. 14

On 14 September 2012 (the day after the Health & Environment Alliance’s (HEAL) Annual General Assembly (AGA), a special workshop was organised in Brussels to highlight the growing body of science and tools related to endocrine disruptors (EDCs) and chronic diseases. It also stressed the important contribution that health groups are making in this critical area of human health. Chronic Diseases and endocrine disruptors (EDCs) Objectives of the workshop were: To facilitate (...)

What can be done to reduce health impacts from air pollution?

Last September 13, and on the margins of the Health & Environment Alliance’s (HEAL) Annual General Assembly (AGA), a workshop was dedicated to the air quality situation in Europe. Indoor and outdoor air quality, air pollution, and children’s health and air quality measured on the spot were on the agenda. Workshop’s agenda Why did the Health & Environment Alliance’s (HEAL) decide to put Air quality at the top of its priorities? While there have been some (...)

EPHA mentioned in Lancet’s article on WHO European review of social determinants of health and health divide

An article in the academic journal, The Lancet, highlights the fact that the European region has seen remarkable heath gains following progressive improvements in the conditions in which people are being born, grow up, live, and work. However, it goes on to state, inequities, both between and within countries, still persist. The article, published in the renowned medical journal The Lancet, outlines the inequities in health between and within the 53 member states of the WHO European (...)

European Parliament draft report on the EU Commission Proposal amending Directives regarding water policy

Chemical and Water pollution are among the main health and environmental worries expressed by EU citizens. The EU Commission proposal to amend the existing EU water legislation as regards priority substances is on the table of the Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI Committee). EPHA’s focus is on the draft European Parliament report. About the EU’s Water Policy The Water Framework Directive (WFD), adopted in 2000, takes an integrated (...)

EPHA participates in Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL) Annual General Assembly - Brussels, 13 Sept.

As a member of the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), EPHA has participated both in the organisation’s Annual General Assembly and in its air quality policy workshop. Monika Kosińska, EPHA’s Secretary General, was re-elected as a Member of HEAL’s Executive Committee. HEAL’s Annual General Assembly (AGA) presented the organisation’s main achievements for the period March 2011 – March 2012. During its AGA, HEAL also elected its Executive (...)

EPHA contribution to the Commisison consultation on Urban Mobility

EPHA strongly believes that urban mobility policies have a considerable impact on the population’s health and that the current EU framework represents an opportunity to fight against the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases now and in the future. EPHA shared its concerns and suggestions for future improvement in its contribution to the Commission consultation on the implementation of the Action Plan on Urban Mobility. While the European Commission Action Plan on Urban Mobility (...)