Environment and Health

Centre for Health Impact Assessment

Diagram from “The Forest for the Trees: A Systems Approach to Human Health Research”
Julia M. Gohlke and Christopher J. Portier
Environ Health Perspect. 2007 September; 115(9): 1261–1263.
Overview of current research challenges
(and future directions)

“Human health protection is a fundamental aspect of environmental protection.”

EPA, Ireland

■ Understanding and predicting the impact and interaction of

natural and human-made environments on human health and
wellbeing has been a key challenge for the last 40 years.

■ Though we know a lot about the different aspects of the

environment and their influence on health
there is still much that we know little about.

Centre for Health Impact Assessment

Overview of current research challenges
(and future directions)

■ There are four major areas for environmental health

research:
■ persistent organic and inorganic chemicals in soil, water and air;
■ greenspace and the built environment;
■ climate change; and
■ emerging diseases.

■ At policy level, research on the development of integrated

environmental health systems and processes at national
and European levels e.g. CAFÉ, INTERESE, HEITMSA
Environmental Health Information System (ENHIS) project

Centre for Health Impact Assessment

Presentations

■ Enhancing human health through improved water quality

■ Prof. Martin Cormican (NUIG)

■ Healthy Environment = Healthy Residents?

■ Ms. Valerie de Souza (Health Services Executive West Mid Western Area)

■ A determination of the Mortality — Temperature dose

response relationship for the Irish population, as a tool for
policy making with respect to the threat of global warming
■ Dr. Patrick Goodman (DIT)

Centre for Health Impact Assessment

Presentations in this Session

■ Enhancing human health through improved water quality

■ Prof. Martin Cormican (NUIG)

■ Healthy Environment = Healthy Residents?

■ Ms. Valerie de Souza (Health Services Executive West Mid Western Area)

■ A determination of the Mortality - Temperature dose

response relationship for the Irish population, as a tool for
policy making with respect to the threat of global warming
■ Dr. Patrick Goodman (DIT)

Centre for Health Impact Assessment