Published : May 30,
2013 - Europeans live longer and healthier
lives than in the past, partly due to successful
environmental policies that have reduced
the exposure to harmful environmental contaminants
in air, water and food, according to a new
report. However, these contaminants are
still a problem, and several new health
risks are emerging, for example, from new
chemicals, new products and changing lifestyle
patterns.
This report really reinforces
some of the key links between health and
the environment. People are now exposed
to many different harmful factors, which
together are reducing both lifespans and
wellbeing.
The environment affects
human health in multiple ways, according
to the report ‘Environment and human health’
published by the European Environment Agency
(EEA) and the European Commission's in-house
science service, the Joint Research Centre.
While pollutants, noise and other forms
of environmental degradation can be harmful,
the report underlines the large benefits
of access to natural environments for physical
and mental wellbeing.
Europe’s ‘health gap’
There is large disparity
in the environmental conditions across Europe,
which is often reflected in different levels
of health and life expectancy, according
to the report. People with low social status
often live in degraded or harmful environments,
with potential negative effects on health.
Their condition may be further influenced
by other factors, including socio-economic
status, life style habits and general health
status.
New risks and new understanding
As people live longer,
the main causes of premature death and disability
have become non-communicable, ’lifestyle’-related
conditions, such as obesity, cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes, and cancer. In so far
as these problems may be linked to environmental
conditions, it has become increasingly important
to address all these issues together, the
report says.
People are usually exposed
to multiple environmental factors throughout
their lives, and more research is needed
to understand the impacts, the report says,
especially for the most vulnerable in society
– including children, the poor and the elderly.
Science needs to move
away from focusing on individual hazards
and look instead at the complex, combined
effects environmental and lifestyle factors
are having on our health, the report says.
Jacqueline McGlade,
EEA Executive Director, said: “This report
really reinforces some of the key links
between health and the environment. People
are now exposed to many different harmful
factors, which together are reducing both
lifespans and wellbeing.”
Key findings
Global sales of products
from the chemicals sector doubled between
2000 and 2009, and there is an increasing
range of chemicals on the market, including
substances affecting human health.
There is growing concern
about ‘endocrine disrupting chemicals’,
which affect the hormone system, found in
a wide range of common products including
pharmaceuticals, pesticides and cosmetics.
Effects are not yet fully understood, but
the chemicals may contribute to declining
sperm count, genital malformation, impaired
neural development, obesity and cancer.
The report highlights
evidence showing the contribution of air
pollution to cancer, heart disease, bronchitis
and asthma and estimates that air pollution
reduces each EU citizen's life expectancy
by an average of 8.5 months. Recent studies
of air pollution suggest that exposure in
early life can significantly affect adult
health, and the effect of air pollution
on pregnancy may be comparable to that of
passive smoking. Up to 95% of city dwellers
are still exposed to levels of fine particulate
matter (PM) above World Health Organisation
guidelines, the report says.
In Europe, an increasing health concern
in relation to water quality is pharmaceutical
residues and endocrine-disrupting substances,
which are not always fully removed by water
treatment. Water shortages and water quality
issues may be further exacerbated by climate
change, the report says.
Noise can seriously
harm health, affecting cognitive development,
cardiovascular disease and sleep. Noisy
areas are often those with high levels of
air pollution, and each factor seems to
augment the effect of the other.
Devices emitting electro-magnetic
fields (EMF) such as mobile phones are sometimes
considered a possible cancer risk, but there
is no conclusive scientific evidence supporting
this link. Available data are reviewed regularly
by the Commission's scientific committees.
The next review will be published in the
second half of 2013.
Nanotechnology applications
might be an emerging risk, as little is
known about the effects of nanomaterials
in the human body. This will require an
adequate assessment of potential risks,
to guarantee the safe production of nanomaterials
and their safe use in consumer products.
Green spaces seem to
have multiple physical and mental health
benefits. There are significant differences
in access to these areas across Europe –
all cities in Sweden and Finland have more
than 40 % green space within their boundaries,
while at the other end of the scale all
Hungarian and Greek cities have less than
30 % green space.
+ More
Jacqueline McGlade leaves
the EEA after 10 years as Executive Director
Published : May 31,
2013 - On 31 May, after 10 years of providing
advice and information on the environment
to policy makers, governments and citizens,
Professor Jacqueline McGlade will end her
second term as Executive Director of the
European Environment Agency (EEA). Her work
has shaped Europe’s most important environmental
information provider.
Jacquie’s abundant energy
and intellectual acuity have been a great
inspiration to all of us that have worked
with her. Personally, I relied on her support
and insights, and greatly valued her extensive
experience and dedication.
Karsten Sach, Chair
of the EEA Management Board
Since 2003, Prof. McGlade
has overseen a significant increase in the
coverage and extent of data and information
processed and analysed by the EEA/Eionet,
and a doubling of the resources for the
agency to support this work. In 2003 Turkey
joined the Agency, followed by the full
accession of 15 countries in 2004 and a
continued programme of activities with the
associate countries of the west Balkans.
In 2006 Switzerland joined the EEA as the
32nd full member country and a cooperation
agreement with Greenland entered into force
in 2010. The EEA is now formally cooperating
on various projects with more than 60 countries
across continental Europe, the Arctic, North
Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and
beyond.
Today, the topics and
themes covered by the EEA include all aspects
of environment and climate policy, including
related policies in green economy, transport,
energy, agriculture, fisheries, tourism
and urban development, plus increasingly
the impacts of complexity, uncertainty and
technological innovations on policy development
and implementation.
Prof. McGlade has been
a strong advocate of using new technologies
to improve information gathering and make
it accessible to an increasing number of
users. For example, during her time at the
agency, many new online databases have been
created, such as the Water Information System
for Europe, the Biodiversity Information
Systems for Europe and the European Pollutant
Release and Transfer Register.
Since 2008 Professor
McGlade has been instrumental in establishing
a Shared Environmental Information System
(SEIS). The initiative represents a fundamental
shift in the thinking behind environmental
reporting and indicator development, bringing
together key aspects of national and international
research including outputs from the Copernicus
Earth observation programme where the EEA/Eionet
plays a major role in delivering operational
services.
Rather than a one-way
communication with the public, Prof. McGlade
had a vision for Europe that encourages
dialogue with citizens, including indigenous
peoples in remote regions such as the Arctic.
In 2008, the EEA launched Eye on Earth which
brought together environmental data in the
form of dynamic maps of air and water quality.
Eye on Earth was recognised in the 2012
Rio+20 summit declaration as a key public
information platform on the environment.
Since then, the Eye on Earth Alliance and
Network have grown under Prof. McGlade’s
leadership to become a global public information
service, bringing together knowledge communities
around the world in order to share data
and information. The project aims to harness
the power of regional networks and governments
as well as expertise from researchers, leading
thinkers and citizen scientists around the
world, to build sustainable solutions for
the future.
The EEA has been a frequent
player on the global stage under Prof. McGlade’s
leadership. When Copenhagen was chosen for
the COP15 climate change conference in 2009,
the EEA organised 31 events around the city
and six events at the conference centre,
involving approximately 3 000 participants.
During the last 10 years, frequent collaboration
with international organisations such as
the United Nations Environment Programme,
the Arctic Council and the World Business
Council on Sustainable Development has also
given the EU a strong voice in international
debates.
In addition to representing
the EEA in multiple fora, Prof. McGlade
has presided over the publication of many
hundreds of reports, including two editions
of ‘The European Environment – State and
Outlook’, which the EEA is mandated to publish
every five years, in 2005 and 2010. She
has contributed to many other reports including
the second volume of ‘Late Lessons from
Early Warnings’ in 2013.
An outstanding communicator,
Prof. McGlade has become a regular interviewee
on television, radio and in the press, frequently
commenting on some of the most pressing
issues faced by Europe and the world, including
the meaning of happiness and well-being.
Under her creative guidance the EEA has
produced many multimedia products including
Ecoagents and award winning films such as
Our Arctic challenge, One Degree Matters
and Planet RE:think.
Karsten Sach, Chair
of the EEA Management Board, said: “Jacquie’s
abundant energy and intellectual acuity
have been a great inspiration to all of
us that have worked with her. Personally,
I relied on her support and insights, and
greatly valued her extensive experience
and dedication. She has positioned the EEA
as one of the world’s leading providers
of environmental information. She has been
the driving force behind many projects and
initiatives. For example, she was instrumental
in setting up the network of Environmental
Protection Agencies, which has become extremely
important in supporting the implementation
of environmental policy across Europe.”
She will be succeeded
by Belgian Hans Bruyninckx, who will become
the new Executive Director on 1 June.
