Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health. By reducing air pollution levels, countries can reduce the burden of disease from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma.
Health impact assessment
Health impact assessment (HIA) is a practical approach used to systematically judge the potential health effects of a policy, strategy, plan, programme or project on a population, particularly on vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.
HIA can help to identify the distribution of those effects within the population, generate evidence for proper action to avoid and mitigate sometimes unintended health risks, and promote health opportunities. Recommendations are produced for decision-makers and stakeholders, and a framework for monitoring and evaluating changes in health is offered as part of performance management and sustainable development.
The approach can be applied in diverse economic sectors and uses quantitative, qualitative and participatory techniques. Examples of how HIA has been used include clean energy options, master plans, planning for green spaces, transportation and urban growth projects, zoning for walkability, air pollution and noise reduction interventions, climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. HIA provides a way to engage with members of the public affected by a particular proposal. It also helps decision-makers and Member States make choices about alternatives and improvements to prevent disease or injury and to actively promote health. It is based on the four interlinked values of democracy (promoting stakeholder participation), equity (considering the impact on the whole population), sustainable development and the ethical use of evidence.
HIA is a consolidated approach to estimate and anticipate the consequences of policies, plans, programmes and projects. It is a key resource for achieving foresight in societal decision-making, systematically deployed worldwide. Economic sectors such as transport, agriculture, energy, waste and housing have profound impacts on health. For instance, transport is a major factor in traffic injuries, air pollution and noise, and healthy transport policies can help reduce these risks, as well as promoting walking and cycling. In agriculture, fertilizers and pesticides may boost crop yields, but wise use is important to protect farm workers and consumers from excessive chemical exposure. Health impact assessment can be a valuable tool for helping to develop policy and assisting decision-makers in these and other areas.
WHO is responding by building the capacity, providing tools and initiatives in health impact assessment to dynamically improve health and well-being across sectors.
WHO supports the health sector to effectively engage in urban health, working across sectors to help cities to produce contextual, meaningful and actionable information on the health, economic and climate impacts of urban environments. WHO supports decision-makers to equip themselves to accept, reject or amend policy alternatives, in the knowledge that they have the best available health evidence before them.
Health risk assessment techniques have been applied in the air pollution field for many years. Tools for HIA include AirQ+, with the goal to quantify the health burden and impact of air pollution; CLIMAQ-H, a software assessing the outcomes of climate-driven policies and support decision-making; and HEAT for walking and cycling, a web-based tool used to estimate the health and economic impacts of increased walking and cycling. All tools are downloadable for free.
Other relevant information is available from WHO-EURO.
