Health and the environment: a compilation of evidence

There is increasing awareness that our health and the environment in which we live are closely linked. This report compiles evidence on the relationship between health and a selected list of environmental factors including `natural' features (such as temperature and ultraviolet radiation) and aspects of our surroundings which have been created by humans (such as housing and transport). The results of this compilation highlight that: our surroundings can influence our physical health and mental wellbeing through a variety of channels; health and wellbeing may be affected in both positive and negative ways; humans, through their intervention in the environment, can play a vital role in exacerbating or reducing health risks. As the pathways involved can be indirect and complex, this report also examines some of the difficulties involved in assessing the broader relationship between health and the environment.

ISSN 978-1-74249-129-5; Cat. no. PHE 136; 88pp.; $27