When it comes to public health, the issue of environmental health is worth clarifying and analysing more extensively, which may be of interest to lawyers. At the same time, in respect of public law, which may be of interest to the representatives of fields of sciences other than law, it is necessary to define terms in the sphere of legal protection of environmental elements. Such an analysis will lead us indisputably to the idea of health environmental law, which creates legal instruments for the implementation of environmental health demands. The text’s first part introduces the concept and evolution of public health as well as the idea of new public health that emerges from it. The second part focuses on indicating the place in public health which is occupied by the environmental strands that form the concept of environmental health and on presenting its characteristics. The third and final part presents the conception of health environmental law as a research area at the borderline between environmental law, as defined in this part, and environmental health, as defined earlier. The whole ends with conclusions de lege lata and postulates de lege ferenda. The work is based on national and foreign literature on public health, environmental law and environmental management. Legal status current as of 30 April 2023.
Objectives To compare the number and quality of public, environmental and occupational health articles published in international journals from the 3 major non-English speaking countries of East Asia: China, Japan and Korea. Material and Methods Public, environmental and occupational health articles from China, Japan and Korea that were published in 161 journals from 2003 to 2012 were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. We recorded the numbers of total articles, impact factors (IF), citations, number of articles in top 10 journals, references as well as the article distribution from various regions in China. Results From 2003 to 2012, China, Japan and Korea published 5713, 3802 and 1967 papers respectively, with accumulated impact factor of 14 934.55, 8758.36 and 6189.25, the average impact factor of 2.61, 2.30 and 3.15 and the average citation numbers per document of 5.08, 6.49 and 5.25. In the top 10 high-impact public, environmental and occupational health journals, China, Japan and Korea accounted for 50.19%, 20.34% and 29.47% of all the papers published in those journals, respectively. Total impact factors of the most popular 10 papers for China, Japan and Korea were: 26.23, 27.08 and 26.91. Distribution of scientific papers among regions was unbalanced in China, for Hong Kong and Taiwan it accounted for 47.31% of the papers from China. Conclusions From 2003 to 2012, both the quality and number of papers from China published in public, environmental and occupational health journals have greatly improved. China exceeded Japan and Korea in the number, accumulated impact factor, total citation times and the average number of references, while Korea had the highest average impact factor. Japan had the highest journal impact factor among the most popular journals, and the highest average citation number per document.
Objectives The research purpose was to analyze data concerning chemical incidents in Poland collected in 1999–2009 in terms of health hazards. Material and Methods The data was obtained, using multimodal information technology (IT) system, from chemical incidents reports prepared by rescuers at the scene. The final analysis covered sudden events associated with uncontrolled release of hazardous chemical substances or mixtures, which may potentially lead to human exposure. Releases of unidentified substances where emergency services took action to protect human health or environment were also included. Results The number of analyzed chemical incidents in 1999–2009 was 2930 with more than 200 different substances released. The substances were classified into 13 groups of substances and mixtures posing analogous risks. Most common releases were connected with non-flammable corrosive liquids, including: hydrochloric acid (199 cases), sulfuric(VI) acid (131 cases), sodium and potassium hydroxides (69 cases), ammonia solution (52 cases) and butyric acid (32 cases). The next group were gases hazardous only due to physico-chemical properties, including: extremely flammable propane-butane (249 cases) and methane (79 cases). There was no statistically significant trend associated with the total number of incidents. Only with the number of incidents with flammable corrosive, toxic and/or harmful liquids, the regression analysis revealed a statistically significant downward trend. The number of victims reported was 1997, including 1092 children and 18 fatalities. Conclusions The number of people injured, number of incidents and the high 9th place of Poland in terms of the number of Seveso establishments, and 4 times higher number of hazardous industrial establishments not covered by the Seveso Directive justify the need for systematic analysis of hazards and their proper identification. It is advisable enhance health risk assessment, both qualitative and quantitative, by slight modification of the data collection system so as to enable the determination of released chemical concentration and exposed populations. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(1):95–110
Objectives: The World Health Organization (WHO) provides data on national indices of health, environment and economy. When we were asked, why air pollution is negatively correlated with cancer mortality, our first response (presumably the mortality data are not age-adjusted) was not sufficient to explain the paradox. Material and Methods: A table including all-cause, cancer and childhood mortality, life expectancy, gross national product per person, smoking prevalence, physician density and particulate matter (PM₁₀) per country (N = 193) was developed. For explorative purposes weighted cross-sectional multiple linear regressions models were built. Results: Air pollution is positively correlated with infant and overall mortality and negatively with life expectancy. This might not only depict a true causal effect of PM₁₀ because air quality is also an indicator of a country’s prosperity and general state of environment. Cancer mortality is negatively correlated with PM₁₀. However, this association turns positive when economic or health system indicators are controlled. Conclusions: The World Health Organization’s world-wide data sets demonstrate the large disparity of our world. A careful and professional approach is needed as interpretation is difficult, especially for lay persons. Therefore, with publicly available data WHO should also provide interpretation and guidance.
ObjectivesAir pollution has become a critical environmental issue, which severely threatens the well-being of asthma patients. The quality of life of these patients, when exposed to air pollutants such as particulate matter 10 (PM10), has been poorly studied. The current research examined the association between the concentration of PM10 in the air and the quality of life of patients with asthma.Material and MethodsThe study group consisted of 300 adult asthma patients treated in 2 allergy outpatient clinics in Kraków, who declared they would not leave the city in the 14-day study period. Daily concentrations of PM10 from air monitoring stations were recorded over a period of 2 weeks, following which the patients filled out the standardized Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) regarding the monitored period to assess the total quality of life and its 4 domains (symptoms, limitation of activity, emotional functioning and environmental stimuli).ResultsThe average PM10 exposure was 65.2 μg/m3 and only 30% of the patients were exposed to values of ≤50 μg/m3, i.e., the highest 24-h threshold value considered acceptable by the World Health Organization. The observed effect of an increased level of exposure to airborne PM10 was associated with reduced scores in AQLQ from 0.40 at the medium level to 0.46 at the high level, in comparison to the low level. The total score of the asthma-related quality of life and its domains showed poorer outcomes as the concentration of PM10 was increasing (every 0.08 pt per a 10 μg/m3 increase).ConclusionsThe increase in the concentration of PM10 in the air impacts on the overall quality of life and its particular domains in people with exceptional predispositions, such as patients with bronchial asthma. Physicians taking care of asthma patients should pay special attention to the quality of patient’s life in response to the course and control of that illness, in relation to air pollution.
Objectives In recent years numerous initiatives aimed at reducing air pollution have been undertaken in Poland. The general objective was to examine the correlation between air pollution measured by the level of particulate matter ≤10 μm in diameter (PM₁₀) and emergency hospitalizations due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in 16 Polish cities (capitals of the regions). Material and Methods The authors aimed to diagnose the situation across 16 cities over a 5‑year period (2014–2019). Data on the number of hospitalizations was retrieved from the national public insurance system, the National Health Fund. A total number of 22 600 emergency hospitalizations was analyzed (12 000 and 10 600 in 2014 and 2019, respectively). The data on air pollution was accessed via the public register of the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection air quality database. The authors of this article have used the data on PM₁₀ daily exposure in each of the 16 cities in 2014 and 2019. Statistical methods included: non-parametric tests, a 2-stage modelling approach for time-series data, and multivariate meta-analysis of the results. Results The results indicated that there was a statistically significant decrease in PM₁₀ concentration in 2019 in comparison to 2014 in all cities, mainly in the autumn and winter season. However, the correlation between the improvement in the air quality and a decrease in emergency hospitalizations due to asthma and COPD turned out to not be as strong as expected. The authors observed a strong correlation between PM₁₀ concentrations and hospitalizations due to asthma and COPD, but only when air quality norms were significantly above acceptable levels. Conclusions Air pollution measured by PM₁₀ concentration might be used as one of the predictors of the asthma and COPD emergency hospitalization risk, yet other factors like respiratory tract infection, health care organizational aspect, patient self-control, compliance and comorbidities should also be taken into consideration.
Research background: This study identifies the key factors influencing environmental health across a global panel of countries, focusing on protection from environmental hazards, as informed by the existing literature, while also shedding light on novel aspects of these causal relationships. Purpose of the article: This study aims to reveal, through a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, the underexplored phenomena of spatial diffusion and contagion of national environmental behaviors and the nonlinear dynamics between environmental performance and its determinants, acknowledging the significant diversity in the characteristics and behaviors of the countries studied. Methods: Spatial analysis and econometric methods, including spatial panel regression alongside dynamic panel models using threshold techniques, were employed to meet the study’s objectives. Findings & value added: This study’s major finding is that environmental performance across nations shows significant clustering influenced by economic and institutional factors. This clustering effect arises from spatial contagion and diffusion processes, as evidenced by spatial panel regression analysis. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that variations in environmental behavior can be attributed to differing levels of development and specific internal conditions within countries. Notably, a country’s gross domestic product and the proportion of industries in its economy have a substantial effect on its environmental health practices, establishing distinct impact thresholds. This research enriches academic dialogue by illustrating, through these thresholds, that in less developed countries, an increased industrial share leads to environmental degradation. Moreover, the influence of the other examined factors varied depending on the category of the country under review, highlighting the nuanced effects of economic and institutional variables on environmental outcomes.
Objectives Exposure to nighttime light pollution has a multidimensional environmental impact and is associated with harmful health effects. This study aimed to characterize individual interventions to reduce nighttime light exposure among adults in Poland and to identify factors associated with the implementation of individual interventions to reduce nighttime light exposure. Material and Methods This is a secondary analysis of data obtained from the nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted in December 2024 in a representative sample of 5006 adults (18–64 years) in Poland. Respondents were asked about the implementation of 5 different interventions to reduce nighttime light exposure. Results Among all respondents (N = 5006), the most common intervention to reduce nighttime light exposure was the use of blackout curtains in the bedroom (41.4% of respondents), followed by limiting screen time in the evening (17.6% of respondents). Among the respondents, 14.7% declared turning off indicator lights on electronic devices or using light bulbs with a warmer color. The least common method was using an eye mask (3.9% of respondents). In total, 65% of respondents had implemented ≥1 individual intervention to reduce exposure to nighttime light pollution. Age 18–44 years, having a full-time or part-time job, good financial situation, having sleep problems, and looking for health-related information were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with the implementation of ≥1 intervention to reduce exposure to nighttime light pollution. The most important factor associated with the intervention to reduce exposure to nighttime light pollution was active seeking health information (OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.9–2.48, p < 0.001). There was no significant impact of gender, educational level or place of residence (p > 0.05). Conclusions This study revealed a gap in the implementation of individual interventions to reduce exposure to nighttime light pollution among adults in Poland. There is an urgent need to promote the prevention of environmental hazards like light pollution among adults in Poland.
There is an ongoing discussion about electromagnetic hazards in the context of the new wireless communication technology – the fifth generation (5G) standard. Concerns about safety and health hazards resulting from the influence of the electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by the designed 5G antennas have been raised. In Poland, the level of the population’s exposure to EMF is limited to 7 V/m for frequencies above 300 MHz. This limitation results from taking into account the protective measures related not only to direct thermal hazards, but also to diversified indirect and long-term threats. Many countries have not established legal requirements in this frequency range, or they have introduced regulations based on recommendations regarding protection against direct thermal risks only (Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC). For such protection, the permissible levels of electric field intensity are 20–60 V/m (depending on the frequency). This work has been created through an interdisciplinary collaboration of engineers, biologists and doctors, who have been for many years professionally dealing with the protection of the biosphere against the negative effects of EMF. It presents the state of knowledge on the biological and health effects of the EMF emitted by mobile phone devices (including millimeter waves which are planned to be used in the 5G network). A comparison of the EU recommendations and the provisions on public protection being in force in Poland was made against this background. The results of research conducted to date on the biological effects of the EMF radiofrequency emitted by mobile telecommunication devices, operating with the frequencies up to 6 GHz, do not allow drawing any firm conclusions; however, the research evidence is strong enough for the World Health Organization to classify EMF as an environmental factor potentially carcinogenic to humans. At the moment, there is a shortage of adequate scientific data to assess the health effects of exposure to electromagnetic millimeter waves, which are planned to be used in the designed 5G devices. Nevertheless, due to the fact that there are data indicating the existence of biophysical mechanisms of the EMF influence that may lead to adverse health effects, it seems necessary to use the precautionary principle and the ALARA principle when creating environmental requirements for the construction and exploitation of the infrastructure of the planned 5G system.
PL
Trwa dyskusja o zagrożeniach elektromagnetycznych w kontekście projektowania nowej technologii łączności bezprzewodowej piątej generacji – standardu 5G. Pojawiają się obawy o zagrożenia bezpieczeństwa i zdrowia wynikające z oddziaływania pola elektromagnetycznego (PEM) emitowanego przez projektowane urządzenia radionadawcze sieci 5G. W Polsce obowiązują wymagania ograniczające ekspozycję ludności na PEM powyżej częstotliwości 300 MHz do poziomu 7 V/m. Wynikają one z uwzględnienia działań ochronnych dotyczących nie tylko bezpośrednich zagrożeń termicznych, ale również zróżnicowanych zagrożeń pośrednich i długoterminowych. Wiele państw nie ustanowiło wymagań prawnych w tym zakresie częstotliwości lub wprowadziło je na podstawie rekomendacji dotyczącej jedynie ochrony przed bezpośrednimi zagrożeniami termicznymi (Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC), co odpowiada dopuszczalnym, zależnym od częstotliwości poziomom PEM rzędu 20–60 V/m. Niniejsza praca powstała w ramach interdyscyplinarnej współpracy inżynierów, biologów i lekarzy od lat związanych zawodowo z ochroną biosfery przed negatywnymi skutkami działania PEM. Przedstawiono w niej stan wiedzy na temat biologicznego i zdrowotnego działania PEM emitowanego przez urządzenia radionadawcze telefonii komórkowej (w tym planowanych do wykorzystania w sieci 5G fal milimetrowych) i na tym tle porównano zalecenia UE i obowiązujące w Polsce przepisy dotyczące ochrony ludności. Wyniki dotychczasowych badań nad biologicznym działaniem radiofalowego PEM emitowanego przez urządzenia nadawcze telefonii komórkowej o częstotliwościach do 6 GHz nie pozwalają na postawienie zdecydowanych wniosków, chociaż dowody naukowe uznano za wystarczające do zaklasyfikowania przez Światową Organizację Zdrowia takiego PEM jako czynnika środowiskowego potencjalnie rakotwórczego dla ludzi. Obecnie nie ma również adekwatnych danych naukowych pozwalających na ocenę skutków zdrowotnych ekspozycji na elektromagnetyczne fale milimetrowe, jakie planuje się wykorzystać w projektowanych urządzeniach nadawczych systemów 5G. Niemniej ze względu na to, że istnieją dane wskazujące na istnienie mechanizmów biofizycznych oddziaływania PEM mogących prowadzić do negatywnych skutków zdrowotnych, konieczne wydaje się stosowanie przy tworzeniu wymagań środowiskowych dotyczących budowy i użytkowania infrastruktury radionadawczej planowanego systemu 5G zasady ostrożności i zasady ALARA.
In 2017, preparations were made in Poland to provide all citizens with access to the Internet at a speed of at least 30 Mb/s, and at a speed of at least 100 Mb/s for 50% of households. This goal is to be realized, among others, by means of the fifth generation (5G) radio-communication networks. This work presents the assumptions of the 5G network structure and estimates of the level of population exposure toelectromagnetic fields related to their rational use. It was also analyzed whether, from the technical point of view, 5G networks could be implemented while respecting the currently acceptable level of electromagnetic field intensity in Poland (7 V/m), taking into account the current environmental exposure caused by antennas of cellular base stations. This is a contribution to the ongoing discussion on the need to change the requirements in Poland in order to limit the level of population exposure to electromagnetic fields. Based on the available documentation of the proposed technical standards, the theoretical analysis of environmental exposure to the electromagnetic field emitted by 5G systems shows that, with rational power management, obtaining the expected (compatible with 5G standards) quality of connections via base stations installed outside of buildings and using intelligent antenna systems with controlled beams, it will be possible to maintain the electric field strength and power density below the current limit values in places accessible to the public (<7 V/m, <0.1 W/m2).
PL
W 2017 r. w Polsce rozpoczęto przygotowania do zapewnienia wszystkim obywatelom dostępu do internetu o prędkości co najmniej 30 Mb/s, a 50% gospodarstw domowych – o prędkości co najmniej 100 Mb/s. Cel ten ma być zrealizowany dzięki m.in. sieci radiokomunikacyjnej standardu piątej generacji (5G). W artykule przedstawiono zagadnienia związane z założeniami konstrukcji sieci 5G oraz oszacowano poziom ekspozycji ludności na pola elektromagnetyczne związane z racjonalnym użytkowaniem tych sieci. Przeanalizowano również, czy z technicznego punktu widzenia implementacja sieci 5G może zapewnić dotrzymanie obecnie dopuszczalnego w Polsce poziomu natężenia pola elektrycznego (7 V/m), przy jednoczesnym uwzględnieniu występującego obecnie w środowisku narażenia powodowanego przez anteny stacji bazowych telefonii komórkowej. Jest to przyczynek do trwającej dyskusji nad koniecznością zmiany obowiązujących w Polsce wymagań ograniczających poziom ekspozycji ludności na pola elektromagnetyczne. Analiza teoretyczna ekspozycji środowiska na pole elektromagnetyczne emitowane przez systemy 5G, przeprowadzona na podstawie dostępnej dokumentacji proponowanych standardów technicznych, pokazuje, że przy racjonalnym gospodarowaniu mocą uzyskanie oczekiwanej (zgodnej ze standardami 5G) jakości połączeń za pośrednictwem stacji bazowych zainstalowanych na zewnątrz budynków i wykorzystujących inteligentne systemy antenowe o sterowanych wiązkach będzie można utrzymać natężenie pola elektrycznego i gęstość mocy poniżej aktualnych wartości dopuszczalnych w miejscach dostępnych dla ludności (<7 V/m, <0,1 W/m2).
Świadomość, że dobrostan środowiska uległ pogorszeniu do tego stopnia, że wymaga pilnej uwagi, zdaje się być dzisiaj powszechna. Większość naukowców przyznaje, że pogarszający się stan środowiska naturalnego wynika głównie z niewłaściwego podejścia człowieka do natury. Uświadomienie sobie tego faktu zaowocowało licznymi głosami nawołującymi do stworzenia etyki środowiskowej, która inspirowałaby pozytywne działania na rzecz środowiska. W odpowiedzi na te apele zaproponowano wiele rodzajów etyki środowiskowej, z których większość dotyczy globalnej etyki zachowań ludzkich. Doceniając wagę tych wysiłków, autorzy niniejszego artykułu przedstawiają stanowisko, że etyka oparta na wyznaczaniu globalnych standardów stanowi mniej skuteczną odpowiedź na wyzwania środowiskowe niż etyka relatywistyczna. Przyczyną takiego stanu rzeczy jest to, że trudno jest wypracować na poziomie globalnym etykę, która byłaby zgodna z wartościami kulturowymi przyjętymi i uznanymi przez wszystkich ludzi na całym świecie. Etyka inspirowana kulturowo przyniesie prawdopodobnie więcej pozytywnych działań na rzecz środowiska niż jakakolwiek totalizująca etyka globalna.
EN
It is now very clear to many that environmental health has degraded to such a degree that it requires urgent attention. Most scholars have understood that the failing health of the environment is mostly due to the wrong way it is being handled by human beings. This realization has necessitated various calls for an environmental ethic that would inspire positive human actions towards the environment. In response to these calls, many environmental ethics have been proposed, most of which are global ethics of human behaviour. While commending these efforts, we argue in this work that global standard setting ethics would not be as effective as relativistic ethics in handling environmental challenges. This is because, it is difficult to set a global ethics that would satisfy all cultural values as to be justifiably binding on all human beings. Culture inspired ethics would most likely provoke more positive activities towards the environment than any global totalizing ethics.
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