Key messages

Health impact assessment is a tool that provides policymakers with insights into the health burden that is attributable to chemical exposures and helps them to prioritise preventive measures. Improved methodologies and data are needed to reduce uncertainties of the estimated health impacts.

Overview

Environmental Burden of Disease (EBD) and Health Impact Assessment (HIA) are tools to provide policymakers with insights into the impact of (changes in) environmental exposures on population health. This project aims to improve health impact assessments for chemical exposures by making methods more reliable and expanding the types of data used to reduce uncertainties about health impacts and to strengthen the scientific basis for policymaking.

Currently, many health impact assessments are limited by missing or inconsistent data on exposure levels, health effects, exposure-response functions, and susceptible populations. By improving methodologies and integrating a wider range of data – including demographic, epidemiological and toxicological information – the project is making EBD and HIA calculations more accurate and useful.

This will help policymakers to carry out more informed evaluations, set priorities and plan actions to reduce health impacts from harmful chemicals. The work directly supports the EU Green Deal’s zero pollution ambition ↗, particularly the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability ↗, which aims to reduce pollution and its effects on the health and the environment.

The project is part of a broader group of four interlinked initiatives working on health impact assessment. Its results will feed into related efforts, including real-world case studies and the creation of indicators to measure chemical risks and health effects more effectively. By reducing uncertainty and improving data use, this project is supporting safer chemical policies and helping protect public health across Europe.

Policy relevance

This will help policymakers to carry out better evaluations, set priorities and plan actions to reduce health impacts from harmful chemicals. The work directly supports the EU Green Deal’s zero pollution ambition ↗, particularly the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability ↗, which aims to reduce pollution and its effects on the health and the environment.