European Perspectives on Environmental Burden of Disease
Otto Hänninen Anne Knol (Eds.)
European Perspectives on Environmental Burden of Disease
REPORT
Otto Hänninen, Anne Knol (Eds.)
REPORT
Estimates for Nine Stressors in Six European Countries
Estimates for Nine Stressors in Six European Countries European Perspectives on Environmental Burden of Disease
Environmental stressors contribute significantly to the global burden of disease and they are important health determinants also in Europe. The magnitude of the public health impacts associated with exposure to different environmental factors varies by orders of magnitude. Quantification of the impacts allows policy makers and evaluators to focus their efforts in an efficient way on those environmental factors that cause the greatest burden of disease. The current assessment demonstrates the use of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) to measure the environmental burden of disease in Europe for nine environmental stressors relevant for developed countries (benzene, dioxins, second hand smoke, formaldehyde, lead, transportation noise, ozone, particulate matter and radon). In the participating six countries (Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands), overall 3-7% of the burden of disease was estimated to be associated with these stressors. Particulate matter was responsible for the largest part of the total burden of disease, followed by second hand smoke, transportation noise and radon.
