Environmental Health in Hungary in the Light of the 4th Ministerial Conference: Current Activities, Projects and Tasks

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Environmental Health in Hungary in the Light of
the 4th Ministerial Conference Current
Activities, Projects and Tasks
Gyula Dura, Anna Páldy National Institute of
Environmental Health, Budapest

• ISEECentral and Eastern European Meeting 4 - 6
  September, Balatonföldvár, 2003

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• Growing international awareness that good health
  is VITAL
• European Environmental and Health Process
• EU new Public Health Policy
• European Environment Health Strategy
• UN Millenium Development Goals
• Declaration of Johannesburg Word conference on
  Sustainable Development
• 4th European Environment Health Ministerial
  Conferance

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Environmental health is very important for
Hungary Commitment of Hungary in strengthening
environmental health policy

• This is supported by our legal provisions
• Act of 1991 on National Public Health and Medical
  Officers Service
• in the new Act of 1997 on Health a whole chapter
  deals with environmental health issues
• Active institutions in the field of environmental
  healthThe establishment of the National
  Institute for Environmental Health (NIEH) in 1998
  reflects that in Hungary environmental health is
  a priority issue

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Implementation of environmental health policy -

• Environmental Health Surveillance, provided by
  Natl.Public Health and Medical Officers Service
  as well as county Public Health Institutes
• NIEH (former National Institute of Hygiene,
  founded in 1925)
• professional expertise
• professional objectives as setting up of
  environmental health requirements, including
  human health risk based limit values
• collecting and management of environmental health
  data (analysis, interpretation of monitored data
  )
• environmental health impact assessment
• development, calibration and validation of the
  chemical analytical and microbiological
  laboratory methods exposure models for chemical
  transfer and transport processes of environmental
  pollutants
• methodological and continuing education centre
  for environmental health inspectors, technicians
• research on the effects of natural, man-made and
  social environments on human health.

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The dynamic environmental health activity in
Hungary

• explained by good practice regarding the
  management of the environmental health problems
  that appeared after the political system change
• harmonization of national legislation to
  international requirements
• health risk assessment and management of polluted
  sites/areas to protect the health of population
  living in hot spots.

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Contaminated sites in Hungary
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The dynamic environmental health activity

• Long-term public health programme for the
  improvement of the health status of the
  population
• Parlament Resolution on Decade of Health Johan
  Béla National Programe
• Health has to become most important human value
  for the vast majority of the public, citizens
  have to be made ready to act to maintain its
  health.
• Years of life spent in good health have to be
  extended.
• Decision-makers have to integrate health policy
  into sectoral policy.

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The dynamic environmental health activity

• Long-term public health programme for the
  improvement of the health status of the
  population (2)
• Establishing and maintaining equal opportunity to
  a healthy life
• Conditions for healthy development have to be
  guaranteed for upcoming generations, from
  conception to adulthood.
• Social inequalities and differences in life
  expectancy at birth have to be reduced.
• Creating an environment conducive to health,
  reducing death due to environmental (external)
  causes
• Improving epidemiological safety/food/environment
  al/occupational safety
• Strengthening capacity rapidly reply to new
  challenges

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European environmental health process
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The decisions, recommendations of the previous
ministerial conferences

• Helsinki Conference, 1994Hungary was among the
  firsts to develop the National Environmental
  Health Action Programme
• overview EH priority problems and launch
  actions covering the whole country and
  mobilising the relevant sectors,
• NEHAP was implemented as part of the National
  Environmental Protection Programme but
  self-dependent programme with close relation with
  that.
• London Conference, 1999Water and Health Protocol
  has been ratified

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National Environmental Health Action Programme
(NEHAP)
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NEHAP (2)
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Price of drinking water /m3 since 1990
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Water quality of individual (single) wells
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NEHAP (3)
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Priories of EU public health policytasks
opportunities for env.health

• Improving health information
• elaboration of env.health indicators, reporting
  systems
• Responding rapidly to health threats
• building capacity (e.g. improvement of
  laboratory methods implementation of REHRA
  methodology)
• Addressing health determinantsuncertainties in
  risk assessment, env.health/strategic impact
  assessment.

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Influence of EU programmes on env. health -
tasks opportunities

• EU 6. Environmental Programme
• protection of waters from pollution
• rational use of natural resources
• waste management
• environmental healthfacilitate more attention
  to vulnerable groups of population, especially to
  childrendatabases, guidelines,
  recommendationsapproximation health,
  environmental and safety policies.

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Message of Johannesburg World Conference on SD to
environmental health

• humans are in the centre of sustainable
  development
• 25 of morbidity all over the word is caused by
  bad environmental conditions
• improve sanitation Halve, by the year 2015, the
  proportion of people without access to safe
  drinking water Aim, by 2020, to use and produce
  chemicals in ways that do not lead to significant
  adverse effects on human health and the
  environment.
• Renew the commitment to the sound management of
  chemicals and of hazardous wastes throughout
  their life cycle.
• reduce adverse environmental effects taking into
  consideration of integrated management of
  poverty, environment and health.

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Impacts of European Environment Health
strategyCOM(2003)338 final adopted 11 June 2003

• Key elements
• SCALE (Science, Children, Awareness Raising,
  Legal instruments, Evaluation)
• Integrated approach
• oEH information, cycle of chemicals, research,
  EH concerns into other sectoral policies,
  intervention,
• Objectives reduce disease burden, strenghten
• Focus on children
• Childhood resp.diseases, asthma, allergia
• neurodevelopmental disorders
• childhood cancer
• endocrine dusrupting effects
• Acceding countries

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Childrens Environmental Health Action Programme

• should be aimed at
• improving our understanding of the environmental
  dangers threatening the lives of the children
  (traffic injuries, soil contamination of
  playgrounds, children accidents, etc.)
• having more profound knowledge of childrens
  diseases ( respiratory diseases, asthma,
  bioallergenics, etc.)
• supporting the establishment of a sound and
  healthy environment ( air quality, urban and
  rural development, etc.)
• The state of childrens health is the measure of
  economic and social development!

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Thank you for your attention!