Environmental burden of diseases

Abstract

Environmental exposures are associated with a large variety of human diseases ranging from headaches and annoyance to cancer and premature death. Comparison of such risks and prioritization of preventive measures therefore cannot be based on incidence or prevalence rates. Environmental burden of disease methodology, developed by World Health Organization, accounts for both years of life lost due to mortality as well as years lived with various disabilities. The latter are quantified using, besides the duration of the condition, a severity weight. Such weights are inherently value-loaded, but in practice the resulting environmental burden of disease estimates have been found very useful. Improved population health registries and harmonization of disease codes together with statistical methods such as population attributable fraction that can be estimated from epidemiological data, allow for rapid and comparable international assessments as demonstrated e.g. by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Recent estimates suggest that fine particles (PM2.5) are the leading environmental health risk in European countries by causing up to 10,000 non-discounted lost years of health per million people annually in the EU.