A review of several methods used in France to assess the impact of chemicals and radiological pollutants on human health
Type de matériel :
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Health disasters in the 1970s and 1980s brought to light the clear impact of human activity on the environment and on human health. The first tool used to evaluate the health impact of chemicals—implemented in the 1980s and still in use today—was the (quantitative) human health risk assessment (HHRA). Other methods have emerged over the past twenty years. Members of the risk and impact assessment methodologies section of the Société Francophone de Santé et Environnement (SFSE) have worked with other experts in the field to study six of these methods including quantitative HHRAs, quantitative health impact assessments (HIAs), socio-economic analyses, HIAs according to the Göteborg consensus, environmental assessments, and radiological risk assessments. The aim is to gain a better understanding of what these methods share, how they differ, and the contexts in which each can be used. This article summarizes the outcome of these discussions. Some of these tools yield additional responses on the topic of human health risks, in terms of public health (quantitative HHRAs), health within the broader sense of well-being (HIAs), financial costs, and radiological risks. Misunderstandings abound about these tools, the terminology used to define them, and their goals. Therefore, clarification is needed to help stakeholders choose the most appropriate tool.
Réseaux sociaux