The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that protecting and creating healthy environment is a critical component of sustainable development.
WHO national consultant, Public Health & Environment, Dr Edwin-Isotu Edeh, stated this during the 6th Annual Conference of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ), in Nasarawa State.
He noted that environmental health can be integrated into sustainable development by improving environmental quality for the poorest populations with the greatest burden of environmental diseases.
Eden also said that this can achieved by reducing exposures to air pollution in homes and villages from biomass burning, providing clean water and sanitation and identifying efforts to address environmental problems that can also provide health benefits.
„Recognising that some policies, practices, and technologies designed to promote sustainability and economic development may have unintended adverse environmental health effects, and attempting to prevent or mitigate these before they are implemented“, he urged.
According to him, the number of people estimated to have died as a result of living or working in an unhealthy environment is 12.6 million.
He said this underscores the devastating impact of the chemicals and waste we‘ve been putting into the air, water and earth since the end of World War II, adding that deaths due to non-communicable diseases which include heart disease and cancer related to exposure to pollution now makes up 8.2 million or nearly two-thirds of the total deaths.
„Deaths from malaria and diarrhea due to unsafe water and lack of sanitation represent one-third and are on the decline.
„Lower and middle-income countries seem to bear the greatest burden of environment-related diseases and injuries.“
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