Environmental hazards such as air pollutants, noise and chemicals can cause illness, disability or even death. The results of international studies on the environmental burden of disease vary widely in different countries, with estimates ranging from about 2 to 20% of the total disease burden caused by environmental exposures (ENHIS). These differences are mainly due to differences in methodology (e.g. which risk factors are included) and partly related to actual differences in environmental conditions.
In 2006, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that in the WHO European Region as much as 14-19% of disease is caused by environmental exposures that can be averted (WHO, 2006d).
It is important to recognise that these percentages refer to a selected set of the currently known environmental risk factors for which quantification of health impacts is possible. In addition, disease burden calculations are a simplification of a very complex reality consisting of combined exposures to different risk factors by different pathways.
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