Presents and explains a charter on environment and health formally adopted by the governments of 29 European countries and by the Commission of the European Communities. Adoption of the charter signals a united position, taken by the governments of Europe, on the basic principles, mechanisms, and priorities for further national and international action to protect the environment. Focused on the specific problems faced in Europe, the charter regards environmetal health as including not only pollution control and environmental hygiene but all aspects of the physical environment and of socioeconomic development. The charter is subdivided into sections dealing with entitlements and responsibilities, principles for public policy, strategic elements, priorities, and actions for the immediate future. Each of these sections is then thoroughly elaborated and substantiated through an accompanying commentary. Key observations include the need to define and seek agreement on policy changes and countermeasures, particularly in view of the persistent problems of ill-considered land use, carelessness with resources, poor hygiene, thoughtless use of new technologies and chemicals, and the continued use of grossly polluting technology despite the ready availability of substantially superior technology. The commentary on strategies acknowledges the intrinsically international nature of many environmental problems, including the pollution of air or water across national borders, and the international movement of food, consumer products, wastes, and potentially hazardous chemicals. Problems identified as requiring urgent attention range from depletion of the ozone layer to the noise pollution created by motorcycles with low engine capacity, from the agricultural practice of using untreated sewage sludge on leaf vegetables to the low aesthetic quality and rapid decay of many recently constructed buildings in European cities, from the dumping of hazardous wastes to the prevention of chemical accidents that have polluted European rivers. The charter is regarded as representing a major step forward in the development of both public health and environmental policies at a time when political change is greatly enhancing cooperation among European countries.

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WHODOC

WHO monograph

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