National Environmental Health Action Plan
The development of the UK National Environmental Action Plan was overtaken by the development of the 1999 UK Sustainable Development Strategy. The following document is ONLY for historical reference purposes.
Contents
- Introduction
- The Institutional Framework
- Environmental Health Management Tools
- Environmental Hazards
- Living and Working Environments
- Economic Sectors
- International Action
- Conclusion
Introduction
What is environmental health?
- The National Environmental Health Action Plan (or NEHAP for short), sets out a plan for improving environmental health in the United Kingdom. Environmental health covers many different aspects of our environment, society and behaviour and a single definition is difficult to find. We have found the following definition of environmental health, proposed by the World Health Organisation in 1993, to be the one most suited to NEHAP:
- Environmental health in the United Kingdom has been improving steadily for several decades, and now is generally of a very high standard. Nevertheless, it is always possible to find opportunities for further improvement. So, one of the two purposes of this document is to set out plans for improvement; the other is to act as a model for Europe.
- The plan sets out ways in which improvements could be made and who is responsible, and it contains more than 160 actions for improving environmental health in the nation. These actions form a check list against which our progress in improving environmental health can be measured. The Government intends to review progress from time to time, and to report on the extent to which the actions set out in the plan have been completed.
- Although the United Kingdom will not be the only country to draw up
such a plan, it will be the first, and our plan will be used as a pilot
for others to come.
- In 1994, the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe held the Second European Conference on Environment and Health. All the countries attending that conference committed themselves to developing national environmental health action plans.
- Producing an action plan is a challenging task. The international effort would be more effective if certain countries were to take the lead. The United Kingdom agreed to be one of six pilot countries. The lessons we have learnt in developing the plan will be made available to those countries who have yet to prepare their plans, hopefully making their tasks easier.
- In drawing up the plan, it was important to take into account the views of a wide range of people. We published a draft of the plan in August 1995. Nearly 250 people and organisations responded to the invitation to comment. The replies offered many constructive criticisms which have been taken into account in this plan.
- An effective plan for environmental health must alter in a dynamic and responsive way to changing circumstances. The actions in the UK NEHAP will be revised from time to time to take account of new knowledge.
- Because of the role of the UK NEHAP as a pilot for other countries' plans, it was important to follow the format agreed with the other participating countries. The format sets out 5 areas (each covered by a chapter of the NEHAP) as follows:
- We have made two additions. First, in response to comments made during the consultation, we have added a sub-section dealing with noise to chapter 3. Secondly, we have added a sixth chapter,
- For each of the areas covered by the plan, we have set out:
- objectives (as agreed by UK and our international partners);
- basis for action (a description of the position in the UK); and
-
actions (the action points).
- The actions are divided into three types, according to urgency:
- Group 1: basic requirements
- Group 2: prevention and control of medium and long term hazards
-
Group 3: promotion of wellbeing and mental health.
This document
- The purpose of this summary document is to provide its readers with
a brief overview of the UK NEHAP. It indicates what each chapter contains,
summarises the situation in the UK, and highlights certain of the key
actions set out in the NEHAP.
- Of course, as a summary, it omits much of the detail, and does not,
itself, provide a complete description of environmental health in the
UK or a complete list of the proposed actions set out in the NEHAP.
What is the NEHAP? The UK NEHAP - gives both an overview of the provision of environmental
health and a detailed analysis of the many factors contributing
to it;
- shows how the current provisions will deliver a steady
improvement in environmental health or how they should be
modified to do so;
- sets out a range of over 160 specific actions across the
spectrum of environmental health for remedying identified
problems or for securing further improvements; and, thereby;
- establishes the means to achieve the objectives of the
Environmental Health Action Plan for Europe and the Health
for All targets.
- Additionally, the UK NEHAP, and the processes leading to it, will act as a guide for the formulation of similar environmental health action plans in other European countries.
[Index]
Chapter 1 - The Institutional Framework
Who does what?
- gives both an overview of the provision of environmental
health and a detailed analysis of the many factors contributing
to it;
- In the UK, the principal players ensuring full consideration of environmental
health consequences of decisions are:
- the Government and its Departments;
- the Health and Safety Commission and Executive;
- the Environment Agencies;
- the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP);
- local authorities; and
- regulators of certain industries.
- The first chapter of the NEHAP describes and sets out the roles of
each of these groups and organisations, and describes the legislative
framework in which they operate. It sets out a number of planned and
continuing actions
- publish regular reports such as This Common Inheritance
- to publish a series of case studies showing the use of environmental
appraisal in policy development
- to continue to review and amend the institutional framework and legislation to meet new requirements for improving environmental health.
[Index]
Chapter 2 - Environmental Health Management Tools
- publish regular reports such as This Common Inheritance
- We can influence the environmental health of the nation in a number
of ways. This chapter sets out the main instruments through which we
can effect change, and explains what the Government and others are doing
to improve these tools.
Environment and health information systems
- Improved information about the state of the environment and the state
of public health both helps us improve our understanding of the effects
of the environment upon health, and allows us to develop priorities
for action and monitor progress. Central government, local authorities
and other bodies collect and publish a wide range of information resulting
from monitoring of the environment and public and occupational health.
In the NEHAP, we have listed and described the monitoring projects which
are underway, and explained where to find the information. A good starting
point is the Digest of Environmental
Statistics, published every year by the Department.
- We intend to continue and enhance these programmes. The NEHAP sets out a series of actions, primarily by central government, to ensure that our information about environmental health continues to improve.
Hazard Assessment
- While we can readily identify environmental hazards to health, it
is often much more difficult to tell which will result in actual harm.
Hazard assessment provides a way of doing this based on a scientific
assessment of all the available information.
- Nationally and internationally, extensive scientific research is being
carried out to improve ways in which we can identify hazards which need
to be addressed as a matter of urgency, and to distinguish them from
those which are less urgent.
- The government will maintain and further develop high quality scientific research initiatives to identify environmental health hazards, and to evaluate the associated risks to health.
Control Measures
- Central government, the environment agencies, local authorities and
health authorities all have wide ranging powers to enforce action required
to protect and improve environmental health. Many of these powers are
harmonised across Europe through EC Directives.
Economic Instruments
- Economic instruments work by attaching a cost to making use of the
environment. This ensures that individuals and firms take the full social
costs of their actions into account when deciding what to consume or
produce, and adjust their behaviour accordingly. The use of economic
instruments to achieve environmental objectives is therefore in line
with the polluter pays principle.
- In practice, it is often difficult to assess precise risks to the
environment and health, or to place economic value on any damage caused,
and accordingly it is government policy to follow the precautionary
principle.
- The Government is carrying out research to find improved ways of environmental accounting and further opportunities for introducing economic instruments.
Environmental Health Services
- Environmental health services are operated mainly at the community
level through local government units, operating to objectives and legislation
set nationally by central government departments. The overall goal of
securing continuing improvement in the general health of the population
has been set out in the White Paper "The Health of the Nation" (which
covers England: similar documents cover Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland).
- The government will continue to set out formally the aims, goals, priorities and key challenges over a rolling five year period through the Health of the Nation initiative.
Professional Training and Education
- Environmental health is a broad subject, and practitioners in this
field come from a wide range of different disciplines. These professionals
must be able to work together effectively to enhance health and the
environment. Access to training is a vital component of this. Professional
Institutes and Societies, University Departments and other representative
bodies are the key players in providing this training.
- One of the basic principles of environmental health is the concept
of dealing with problems at source. Industry and the private sector
are increasingly applying this principle, and environmental managers
are already employed within the private sector in the UK. Developing
educational and training programmes as an integrated part of other business
disciplines can help to incorporate awareness of environmental health
considerations at an early stage.
- There will be a continuing need to strengthen the partnerships between the employers of environmental health professionals and of the organisations which can provide training, through sponsorship and co-funding arrangements.
Public Information and Health Education
- It is equally important to ensure that the public are aware of information and policies relating to their health. The public has a right to request environmental information held by public authorities, and central government and local authorities have policies of publishing information in a readily available form whenever possible. A number of initiatives have been launched to promote messages of sustainable development, environmental awareness and healthy lifestyles.
- There is a problem of communicating about risk which government departments are increasingly having to address. The difficulty is one of providing information to the general public in a way which allows them to identify issues which are serious and which need to be addressed (often at public expense), but to distinguish those from issues which simply make good newspaper stories. Further action on improving risk communication is planned.
- Our ability to protect and enhance environmental health is often hampered by gaps in our knowledge. We need to know more about the way environmental factors affect health, and how best to control them to minimise adverse effects. These gaps can only be filled through well planned and systematic research.
- The Medical Research Council plays the key role in research into environmental health management, and has developed a strategy on environment and health issues as part of the UK's national research effort. Other contributors to research into environmental health management include the other research councils, government Departments and agencies; and statutory advisory bodies.
- The NEHAP summarises on-going research, and sets out priorities for some future initiatives.
- The plan identifies the specific hazards to environmental health, and says how these hazards will be reduced.
- Good health requires adequate supplies of high quality water, and good sewage systems. These are available in the UK:
- over 99% of the population in the UK receives mains water
supplies;
- the quality of these supplies is very high, and all are
safe to drink;
- the UK has the highest percentage connection rate to sewers
of any country in European Union; and
- the UK also has one of the highest levels of provision of sewage treatment.
- However, improvements are always possible.
- The NEHAP sets out the actions planned by the Government to reduce levels of pollutants in drinking water (particularly lead, nitrate and pesticides), to increase investment in sewerage and sewage treatment, and to improve the quality of bathing waters.
- Water resources in the UK have been adequate to meet demands for most
water supply purposes for many years. However, the exceptionally low
rainfall in 1995 over much of the country has caused some concern.
- A review of the situation, and what might be done, will be published shortly.
Air Quality
- This section of NEHAP deals separately with indoor and outdoor air quality because the basis for action and the actions themselves differ greatly.
- Rates of respiratory disease and incidence of allergic responses such as asthma have increased in recent years, and there is concern that some of this increase can be associated with changes in the indoor environment.
- The NEHAP sets out the actions proposed to reduce levels of pollutants in homes, to carry out more research to improve our understanding of the links between indoor air quality and health, and to spread knowledge of practical measures people can take for themselves to improve air quality in their homes.
- Concentrations of outdoor air pollutants in the UK vary from region to region and from day to day. Occasionally, when concentrations are significantly raised, some adverse effects on health occur. Although air quality in the UK has been improving in recent years, further action is needed.
- The Government will shortly publish a national strategy for air quality, setting out quality standards and targets for the reduction of major air pollutants. Recognising that vehicle emissions are a major contributor to poor air quality, part of this national strategy will include the development of measures to reduce such emissions.
- To improve public access to air quality information, a national archive of UK air quality data will be placed on the Internet shortly.
- Although nutrition is outside the scope of the NEHAP, food can present risks to health both through microbial contamination and through the presence of toxic or radioactive materials. Contamination of food is controlled through tight regulation and comprehensive surveillance. Because everyone involved in the food chain must carry their responsibility for helping to ensure that food is safe, the Government has promoted a risk management approach to food safety, and promotes food hygiene awareness campaigns.
- A number of actions are set out in the NEHAP, to ensure continuation of research to improve our understanding of low level risk from contaminants, to continue surveillance and to promote public understanding and awareness of food hygiene.
- The production of waste should be avoided wherever practicable and waste which is produced should be reused or recycled, or energy recovered from it. Waste should only be incinerated or disposed of in landfills as a last resort.
- About 500 million tonnes of waste are produced each year in the United Kingdom.
- The Government has recently published a strategy showing how this quantity might be reduced, and how a greater proportion of it might be reused in some way.
- In some circumstances, contaminated land can endanger health, through the escape of contaminants from the soil. The first priority in dealing with land contamination is to prevent or to minimise further pollution.
- The Government has established a framework for action on contaminated land, and this will lead to a new regulatory regime to deal with past pollution.
- Health risks from radiation arise from both natural and man made sources. Public perception of the risks of exposure to radiation seem to be variance with the known facts: exposure to man made radiation gives rise to greater concern, although natural sources, such as radon, have demonstrably greater health effects. The Government is keen to ensure that public perceptions of the relative risk of exposure to radiation form various sources do not lead to ineffective allocation of public health resources.
- A national survey of exposure to radon in homes has shown that while radon exposure in most homes is low, there are some in which it can pose a hazard to health.
- The Government aims to identify homes above the radon action level, and run publicity campaigns encouraging appropriate remedial action.
- The Government is concerned about skin cancer in the UK resulting from exposure to solar radiation. Its objective is to halt the year on year increase in the incidence of skin cancer by 2005.
- To achieve this, the Government has put in place a programme of public information and local campaigns on the risk of skin cancer, and research both into public attitudes and behaviour and into the nature of skin cancer.
- The management and disposal of radioactive waste are subject to tight regulatory control. The Government's primary aim is to ensure that people and the environment are not exposed to unacceptable risks from radioactive waste, either now or in the future. A White Paper published in July 1995 set out general policy aims and clarified the roles of regulators, operators and Government. The Government will continue to develop and publish indicators of radioactivity in the environment.
- The initial response to a disaster is usually provided by emergency services supported by local authorities and other relevant agencies. It is at the local level that necessary resources and expertise are found. Emergency plans exist covering all parts of the country, and both natural and man made disasters.
- The UK recognises the importance of international co-operation in this field, and will continue to play a full and active role in the work of relevant organisations.
- The Government will continue to oversee the development and testing of emergency plans, carrying out research to assess risks and to develop appropriate responses, and ensure effective international exchange of information. A review to determine what, if any, legislation is required for off-site emergency planning for civil nuclear sites will be completed by the end of 1996.
- Noise is perhaps the most widespread of pollutants. It affects the quality of life and, for some people, destroys it entirely.
- A major survey of attitudes to noise was carried out in 1990; one in three of those interviewed said that environmental noise spoiled their home life to some extent. The survey also found that road traffic noise is the most widespread form of noise disturbance, and that people object most to neighbour noise. Annoyance, anger, anxiety and resentment are the most frequently reported personal consequences of exposure to noise in the home.
- Actions set out in the NEHAP include:
- research, to improve our understanding of the links between noise and health;
- encouraging the use of informal remedies and funding a national mediation support service; and
- legislating to improve control over sources of domestic noise pollution.
[Index]
Chapter 4 - Living and Working Environments
- This chapter of NEHAP deals with the domestic and occupational environments, their effects on health and ways of improving conditions.
- Housing conditions have been steadily improving since the start of the century:
- Nevertheless, problems remain, and the NEHAP sets out planned actions to meet housing need, to improve the housing stock and raise standards of housing management, to revitalise neighbourhoods and combat anti-social behaviour, and to carry out surveys and research into housing issues.
- The Rural White Paper, Rural England, sets out the Government's policy on all aspects of life in rural areas (Scotland and Wales have published their own White Papers). It aims to encourage action to improve the quality of life in the countryside, foster improved rural services, and to promote viable communities with a balanced composite of age, income and occupation.
- In Northern Ireland, a Rural Development Programme has been in operation since 1991 with the aim of improving the social and economic position of the most disadvantaged rural areas.
- The relatively high standards of health and safety at work in the
UK are built on a tradition of health and safety regulation originating
early in the nineteenth century.
- This tradition has culminated in a single comprehensive framework of legislation regulating virtually all the risks to health and safety arising from work activity, and working through a single integrated set of institutions. This was achieved through the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, which has facilitated a comprehensive view of needs and provisions in health and safety, and coordinated action to tackle them in a way related to actual levels of risk.
- The NEHAP sets out plans for improved guidance and training for companies, particularly smaller companies, on health and safety issues.
- The principle of sustainable development draws clear links between long-term environmental protection and the need for economic growth. This chapter of NEHAP sets out the areas where various economic sectors are linked to the protection and enhancement of environmental health.
- It is central to the Government's policy towards industry that firms should be encouraged to view the environment as a business issue which should feature at the heart of their commercial strategies. It has set up, with industry, schemes to encourage voluntary efforts by industry to exceed the minimum levels of environmental performance that are established by regulation, and has also welcomed collective actions which enable industry itself to take the lead in meeting environmental challenges, and thus obviate the need for Regulation.
- The NEHAP describes the following schemes:
- The 'Responsible Care' programme
- The Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme
- The British Environmental Management Systems Standard
- The EC Eco-Management and Audit Scheme
- The Producer Responsibility Initiative
- The Queen's Award for Environmental Achievement
- The Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment
Energy
- The aim of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure, diverse, and sustainable supplies of energy in the forms that people and businesses want, and at competitive prices. This will best be achieved both by stimulating competitive energy markets working within a stable framework of law and regulation to protect health, safety, and the environment; and by encouraging consumers to meet their needs with less energy input, through improved energy efficiency.
- The NEHAP sets out the Government's plans and targets for:
- reducing emissions of pollutants from power stations;
- improving the efficiency of energy markets;
- increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources; and
- more effective use of energy by industry and in homes.
- An effective transport system is an essential part of modern life.
People's jobs, their way of living, and national competitiveness in
international trade depend on a modern transport infrastructure. But
road transport has also exacted heavy human costs through the number
of victims of road accidents; it was responsible for 3,650 road deaths
in 1994 and more than 300,000 injuries. It is also a major source of
pollution, responsible nationally for 51% of emissions of nitrogen oxides,
52% of black smoke, 91% of carbon monoxide and 45% of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). All forms of transport contribute noise to the environment.
- The NEHAP describes the way in which the Government's transport policies
seek to reduce the impact of transport on environmental health, and
sets out actions to:
- reduce road casualties;
- reduce emissions from vehicles;
- provide guidance to the public on greener motoring; and
- seek ways of reducing all forms of transport noise.
Agriculture
- The relationship between agricultural practices and environmental health is dealt with primarily in other parts of the NEHAP. This section largely describes actions planned to encourage responsible use of pesticides in agriculture and to promote sustainable forestry.
- Tourism contributes some £37 billion annually to the UK economy, equivalent to 5% of the Gross Domestic Product. Like any other major service sector employer (the industry employs 1.5 million people) the tourist industry must comply with legislation on a range of issues including health and safety, food hygiene etc, which are designed to protect consumers and ensure environmental health standards.
- The present infrastructure of services copes well, and planned improvements that are in process of implementation, such as those to water resources, distribution systems and waste water treatment, will enhance service capability.
- The final chapter of the NEHAP describes UK actions which are outside the normal scope of participation in international negotiation, but are direct UK contributions to the World Health Organisation aims. To facilitate this action, the Government maintains strong links and contacts at a wide international level. It takes direct action in the following areas:
- Supporting international initiatives. The UK hosted the first meeting of the European Science Foundation initiative in environment and health research in May 1995 and will host the third European Conference on Environment and Health in 1999.
- Improving professional education and training. The UK encourages exchange of information at all educational levels, from academic exchanges to joint study tours. The Chartered Institute of Environment Health and the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland are founding members of the International Federation of Environmental Health.
- Support to countries in transition. The UK is supporting more than a 100 projects of technical assistance in support of the Environmental Action Programme for Central and Eastern Europe, through the Environmental Know How Fund. Through the European Union, the UK supports the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Nuclear Safety Programme which helps the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union, in their efforts to improve nuclear safety.
- The Government believes that international action in the area of environmental health is essential, and it intends that the UK should continue to play its full part in these and other initiatives for the benefit of environment and health.
- Even though environmental health in the United Kingdom is of a very high standard, it has been possible, in drawing together the National Health Action Plan, to identify more than 160 different actions to improvement environmental health, and which are already part of Government policy. The NEHAP document provides a framework setting out the reasons for and the relationships between these actions, which will act as a useful source document against which to check progress in the future.
- We hope that, in addition, the UK NEHAP will act as a guideline for other countries who, like the United Kingdom, committed themselves to developing National Environmental Health Action Plans at the 1994 European Conference on Environment and Health. The document, together with this overview, has been submitted to the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe, to meet our commitment to act as a pilot country.
| "Environmental health comprises those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by physical, biological, social and psychosocial factors in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling and preventing those factors in the environment that can potentially affect adversely the health of present and future generations." |
Why do we need an action plan?
Plans for improvement
Model for Europe
How the plan was drawn up
Structure of the plan
1: Institutional framework
2: Environmental health management tools
3: Specific environmental hazards
4: Living and working environments
5: Economic sectors
and it specifies sub-headings within each of these chapters.
6: International Action
because of the UK's particular international contribution to the improvement of environmental health.
Research and Technological Development
[Index]
Chapter 3 - Environmental Hazards
Water
|
|
Food
Solid Wastes and Soil Pollution
Ionising and Non-ionisation Radiation
Natural Disasters and Industrial and Nuclear Accidents
Noise
Housing
| Changes in dwellings conditions and amenities 1971 - 1991 | |||
| 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | |
| Dwellings lacking in basic amenities | 16.4% | 5.0% | 1.0% |
| Dwellings lacking central heating | 69% | 43% | 16% |
| Unfit dwellings (1981 standard) | 7.5% | 6.2% | 4.1% |
Source: English House Condition Survey
Rural communities
Occupational Health and Safety
[Index]
Chapter 5 - Economic Sectors
Industry
Transport
Tourism
[Index]
Chapter 6 - International Action
[Index]
Conclusion
Page last modified: 4 September 2003