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Environmental health and justice

Natural systems worldwide are being degraded at unprecedented rates and with stark implications for human health. According to a 1998 Cornell University study, an estimated 40 percent of all deaths can be attributed to environmental factors. This global crisis continues to worsen. For example:

• Almost half of the people in the developing world have at least one of the main diseases or infections associated with inadequate water supply and sanitation. And 1.6 million people die each year due to diseases related to unsafe water, poor sanitation and lack of hygiene. (World Health Organization)
• Pesticides are estimated to cause tens of millions of cases of accidental poisoning each year, with 99 percent of such cases in developing countries, even though these countries account for only 20 percent of global pesticide use.
• Improper solid waste disposal can create multiple vectors for the growth and spread of germs and disease, allow toxic waste to seep into and poison water and soils, and (through incineration) release toxic chemicals into the air.

In order to safeguard the health of human communities and the natural resources on which we depend, people need information on how they can better protect themselves, their communities and the environment.

Poorer communities, in particular, need comprehensive information presented in a language and style they can understand and use.

A Community Guide to Environmental Health provides critical information and support for grassroots groups that are organizing to create better health and environmental conditions in their communities. This training and reference guide includes immediate preventive and first aid measures, as well as longer-term strategies for understanding and addressing the root causes of environmental health problems.

Click here for more information on A community guide to environmental health