Environment and Health

Environmental hazards are established health threats and various environmental factors have been linked to poor health outcomes. HSE Public Health: Health Protection is actively working to improve evidence-based guidance on environmental hazards that will inform more effective response systems as part of an “all hazards” health protection service. The Environment and Health programme has identified key areas for improvement, in line with objective 3 of the HSE Health Protection Strategy 2022-2027.

Climate change is leading to increased incidents of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, cold snaps, and severe floods, and to the northern migration of invasive species. Poor air quality and air pollution are directly responsible for premature deaths in Ireland and continued high exposure to radon gas leads to lung cancer. The build-up of environmental antimicrobials is contributing to global antimicrobial drug-resistance and infectious, and chemical, water contamination remain ongoing challenges for Ireland.

The HSE Environment and Health agenda will be driven by HSE Public Health: Health Protection led by a Consultant in Public Health Medicine in Environment and Health within the National Health Protection Office working with Consultants in Public Health Medicine/Medical Officers of Health and multidisciplinary teams in Health Protection in the HSE Health Regions. The aim of this work is to protect the population of Ireland from avoidable environmental threats to health and improve the environmental determinants of health, as well as to address underlying environmental inequalities affecting health in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in collaboration with colleagues in HSE Public Health: Health Improvement.

The ambitions of the Environment and Health service include:

1. Enhanced national and regional surveillance, public health risk assessment, stakeholder advice, and advocacy on priority environmental health protection hazards
2. Prioritisation of public health action based on the impact of various hazards, including morbidity, mortality and impact on service delivery
3. Evidence-informed, sustainable, robust, and efficient health protection practice and measures supported by guidelines and written agreements between services in relation to roles and responsibilities in specific environment and health issues
4. Work towards a work environment which has net zero carbon emissions by 2027

Key actions required to achieve these ambitions will include:

1. Collaboration with key stakeholders to develop clear health protection roles and responsibilities for environment and health issues
2. Expansion of surveillance of environmental hazards
3. Development of preparedness plans for health protection hazards which are exacerbated by climate change
4. Expansion of the health protection role in advocacy on environment and health issues
5. Collaboration with key stakeholders (e.g. Environmental Protection Agency) to support public health advocacy submissions to government departments on environmental threats to health
6. Reduction of carbon emissions across the HSE health protection work environment and service delivery

Performance of the service will be measured against key indicators:

1. Continuous engagement with key stakeholders to define and review roles and responsibilities in surveillance and public health action on environmental hazards
2. Effective integration of environment and health preparedness and response into the health threats workstreams
3. The surveillance of environmental hazards
4. The development of preparedness plans for non-infectious environmental hazards in collaboration with key stakeholders
5. Engagement with national and international environment and health mechanisms
6. Evidence of reduced carbon emissions across health protection work environments

The Environment and Health subsections on this website provide more details about each of the major environmental hazards in Ireland including advice and guidance for both health professionals and members of the public as well as position papers and submissions on environment and health topics.