05/12/2008 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
"More and more scientific studies are proving links between certain pollutants and certain illnesses, such as allergies, respiratory problems, fertility problems or central nervous system disorders", said Jean Huss (Luxembourg, SOC), rapporteur of the Committee on the Environment, at the opening of a conference on the effects of a polluted environment on health, including pollution in our own homes.
There is an omnipresent cocktail of chemical, physical or biological agents which are all around us – electromagnetic fields, construction materials or toxic moulds – and now engendering new syndromes, Mr Huss said. He called for urgent action to make people realise the scale of the phenomenon.
His forthcoming report on the subject will highlight progress achieved in environmental protection and exemplary action by certain NGOs to alert public opinion and political decision-makers. He also aims to develop a few key points for a global strategy to prevent environment-related health risks. A further concern of the rapporteur is that, in terms of treatment, environment-related illnesses are often marginalised by healthcare systems, which regard them as psychiatric disorders. "Environmental medicine must be recognised as a discipline in its own right," he said.
The draft report is due to be debated by the Assembly during its April 2009 plenary session.