Recently however, efforts to understand the links between multiple stressors and multiple health effects are rapidly increasing. In the past, research studies and policy actions often addressed single-pollutant and single-effect relationships, and there was no integration of data on exposure and impact of environmental changes on human health. Accordingly, information is required about the nature, the causes, and the inter-linkages between existing environmental health risks. The aim of IEHM is to provide unbiased data of appropriate quality and quantity for IEHIA (Integrated environmental health impact assessment), defined as ‘an inclusive and, as far as feasible, comprehensive assessment of the risks to, and impacts on, human health as a result either of exposures to a defined set of environmental hazards or of the effects of policies or other interventions that operate via the ambient or living environment’. The European Union (EU) funded project INTARESE (Integrated Assessment of Health Risks of Environmental Stressors in Europe) explored ways of linking and integrating various information sources and technologies to provide a more unified approach to IEHM. Currently, there is no agreed definition of IEHM. Integrated Environmental Health Monitoring (IEHM) is essential for identifying key stressors on the environment, to assess the state of the environment, and to evaluate the health impact of environmental changes. Such a framework allows the development of combined monitoring systems that exhibit a large degree of compatibility between countries and regions. We develop a structural work process to integrate information that is based on existing environmental health monitoring programmes. We define IEHM as ‘a systemic process to measure, analyse and interpret the state and changes of natural-eco-anthropogenic systems and its related health impact over time at the same location with causative explanations across the various compartments of the cause-effect chain’. To overcome some of these challenges, we propose a DPSEEA-based conceptual framework for an IEHM programme that would enable monitoring and measuring the impact of environmental changes on human health. Other challenges include limited spatial and temporal data availability, limited development of data sharing mechanisms, heterogeneous data quality, a lack of adequate methodologies to link disparate data sources, and low level of interdisciplinary cooperation.
This therefore limits their relevance for studying complex environmental health topics.
Our review showed that most of the existing monitoring programmes have been designed for specific purposes, resulting in narrow scope and limited number of parameters. We identified the DPSEEA (Driving Force-Pressure-State-Exposure-Effect-Action) framework as most suitable for developing an IEHM programme for environmental health impact assessment. We reviewed four existing frameworks and eight monitoring programmes in the area of environmental health.
#Environ monit assess how to
Although Integrated Environmental Health Monitoring (IEHM) is considered an essential tool to better understand complex environmental health issues, there is no consensus on how to develop such a programme.
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