Ministry of Health

Anna Starzewska-Sikorska, Ph.D.Coordinator of environmental part of ProgrammeInstitute for Ecology of Industrial Areas, Katowice

POLISH GOVERNMENTAL PROGRAMME

„ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH”

The environmental part is co-financed by the National Found for

Environmental protection and Water Management

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The participation and contribution of the Ministry of Environment in the formulation and realisation of the National Programme "Environment and Health" is a rational consequence of the adapted national ecological policy and sets up health criteria among priorities in the environmental management tasks.

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Accomplishment of this Programme is closely connected with the process of integration with the European Union and with international co-operation aimed at solving environmental health problems. It will contribute to meeting the EU requirements and WHO recommendations by Poland in the area of environment and health.

The Programme is executed based on the system of "open planning" which enables current adaptation of the scope of individual tasks to the present situation in the European scale including the environment and health process of the WHO and EC Environment and Health Initiative.

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The overall goal of the "Environment and Health" Programme is to establish scientific foundations for an effective system of counteracting health exposures to environmental stressors by integrating the activities aimed at the reduction of environmental degradation and elimination of negative health effects.

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The scope and character of the Programme tasks

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Integration of the activities concerning environment and health with the local economic development in the framework of the local environmental management system

Procedure of formulation of local environmental and health plan

Guidelines for plan implementation Communities environmental health

campaign

Model of local environmental health action plan

Reduction of Environmental Exposure of Children by Pro-ecological Investments in Kindergartens in Silesian Area

The project range included: analysis of the level of contamination of playgrounds with

heavy metals, toxicological examinations of children formulation of investments programme

Project financed by the Swiss Government Aid Fund

The investments programme included:

purchase of vacuum cleaners with function of carpets washing

exchange of surface layer of sand in playgrounds in kindergartens,

installation of equipment for sprinkling lawns with water and washing of playgrounds,

planting of trees, bushes along kindergartens fences in order to reduce dusting from streets,

modernisation and reconstruction of playgrounds

Apart from investments education activities were conducted concerning environmental safety and prevention of children against environmental exposure

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Concept and principles of the system providing for functional utilisation of degraded areas Conceptual model of brownfields revitalisation

management with the use of health risk

secure safe and functional regeneration of brownfields

based on the existing legal and organisational solutions

would be complementary to the information system comprising information on existing environmental quality and on local and regional land use plan as well as on cadastre of real estates

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Of high importance is adaptation of new legal acts which would ensure introduction of health criteria into environmental impact assessment procedure

Methodological strengthening of EIA regarding health impact assessment

Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment with Health Aspects - Environmental Health Impact Assessment

Principles and procedures of health impact assessment within the environmental impact assessment

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Public communication

Programme on promotion activities and promotion instruments in environmental health actions for governmental administration, local authorities, economic sectors, research community, ecological and consumers organisations

Guidelines for national environmental health campaign

Environmental and health Web Page Campaign materials (posters, leaflets, e-bulletin,

flyers, fact sheets) The report based on the results of questionnaires

surveys conducted during 2003-2005 (general public, NGO, local authorities, teenagers)

Environmental and Health Web Page

www.ietu.katowice.pl/wpr

fact sheets

projects effects

downloads

e- bulletin

publications

partnership activities

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Conclusions:

General conclusion: the second phase of the E&H

Programme is necessary

environment and health process in Poland should be started similarly as in Europe

European Strategy on Environment and Health (Action Plan for Strategy Implementation) should be supported by national activities in this area

European Process of E&H is realised step by step by countries following declarations of conferences of E&H ministers - commitments in these declarations should be fulfilled

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formulation and implementation of the Children Environment and Health Action Plan

report on the environmental health hazards in Poland

implementation of information system on environment and health

in co-operation with the Ministry of Health establishing set of health criteria of environmental quality

method of generating "risk map" based on information on environmental contamination

The future activities of the Minister of Environment should concentrate on the commitments made on the conference in Budapest and on requirements resulting from Action Plan for Implementation of European Strategy on Environment and Health. They were namely:

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application of an indicative method of environmental health exposure assessment in large cities as an instrument of environmental policy

assessment of children health exposure to toxic metals in the environment

estimation of economic effects of mortality and morbidity caused by environmental health hazards

environmental-health criteria in construction sector

The future activities of the Minister of Environmentc.d.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTIONTHANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Photo: Janusz Moczulski, Mirosław Grzegrzółka, IETU