Environmental health in the work of Igas

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The main objective of the environmental health policy is to reduce population exposure to pathogens and pollutants

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), "environmental health comprises those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by the physical, chemical, biological, social, psychosocial and aesthetic factors in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors in the environment that can potentially adversely affect the health of present and future generations.". The notion of environment refers to living environments (home, natural), as well as the professional environment.

One of the main objectives of the environmental health policy is therefore to reduce population exposure: 

• to pathogens present in the environment and responsible for infectious diseases (e.g. legionellosis, salmonellosis, typhoid, cholera, etc.) or transmitted by certain species, such as rats (e.g. plague, leptospirosis, etc.), mosquitoes (e.g. dengue, chikungunya, malaria, etc.) or ticks (e.g. Lyme disease, etc.);
• toxic substances introduced into the domestic or professional environment, food or consumer products (e.g. pesticides, lead, asbestos, etc.) that can be responsible for serious or even fatal diseases: cancer, poisoning such as lead poisoning, induced diseases such as asthma, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, etc. Even in utero exposure to certain chemicals, particularly endocrine disruptors, may promote or induce the onset of chronic diseases and cause birth defects;
• physical risks, such as noise, which can be responsible for auditory (deafness, tinnitus, etc.) and extra-auditory effects (sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases, etc.) or electromagnetic waves.

Access to the entire report in French

• La santé-environnement dans les travaux de l’Igas de 2013 à 2022