The Influence of Environmental Policies on Public Health Outcomes

Abstract

Introduction: this study examines the relationship between environmental policies and public health outcomes. The authors hypothesized that more stringent environmental policies would benefit public health. Method: a systematic review of existing literature was conducted to identify whether or not there was previous research done on environmental policies in relevance to public health outcomes. Results: the results revealed a consistent positive correlation between stronger environmental policies and improved public health outcomes. Stricter air quality regulations were correlated with lower rates of respiratory diseases, and regulations on the quality of water were correlated with reduced rates of water-borne illnesses. Tied in with this were studies showing that policies intended to limit the carbon footprint also yielded benefits in terms of public health lower rates of cardiovascular disease and premature death. Conclusions: this review provides strong evidence of the link between environmental policies and improved public health outcomes. The results imply that more excellent ecological policies can significantly enhance human health by lessening the incidence of persistent diseases and wariness of pollution-related diseases.