Health and Environmental Impact Assessment: An integrated approach

Health and the environment are intimately linked. Bad environments can cause ill-health, whether it be asthma worsened by air pollution, poisoning by exposure to hazardous substances, injury caused by fast-moving machinery, stress due to noise or social isolation resulting from poorly designed housing developments. Good environments contribute directly to our quality of life and wellbeing. Despite the interdependence of environment and health, these areas have traditionally been addressed separately through healthcare services, public health legislation and environmental protection measures. A pilot study carried out for the BMA found that in planning for new development projects, human health issues are often not adequately addressed. In this important new book, the British Medical Association shows why we need to develop an integrated approach to health and environmental impact assessment of development projects, and how this might be achieved. This approach may also be applied at the strategic level, allowing consideration of the health implications of larger-scale policies, programmes and plans within a wider framework of sustainable development. Concise and authoritative, with numerous case studies and examples, this BMA policy report will be useful for doctors and other health professionals, environmental health officers, planners and consultants, as well as students and researchers in environmental studies, health policy and planning. Originally published in 1998