10 ways to protect our health and the environment

Preventing environmental pollution can save lives. There is clear scientific evidence on how environmental, chemical and air pollution as well as climate change threaten and impact our health. Europe has a real opportunity to protect and improve Europeans’ health and prevent major chronic health epidemics – here are ten ways how.

1. A healthy planet for healthy people
Preventing environmental pollution can save lives and reduce the toll of diseases. EU laws can reduce environmental pollution.

Find out more:

• Zero pollution: Beat pollution today, prevent disease tomorrow, for everyone
• High level panel: Why urgent action on the EU’s Zero Pollution ambition matters for health – voices from communities and vulnerable groups

2. Protection of the most vulnerable
A polluted environment is most dangerous for children, older people, those already sick and people living in poverty.

Find out more:

• High level panel: Why urgent action on the EU’s Zero Pollution ambition matters for health – voices from communities and vulnerable groups

3. Climate action for health

People in every region of the world are increasingly seeing their health affected by the climate emergency.Action to tackle it can provide immediate and significant health benefits to people and the environment.

Find out more:

• Infographic on climate change and health (available in EN, PL, DE, IT, TR)
• Briefing: Just Transition for health protection
• Infographic: Just Transition for health protection
• Report: Chronic Coal pollution Turkey
• Briefing: Chronic coal pollution Turkey: Cumulative health effects
• Report: Chronic coal pollution Western Balkans (EN, SB, RO)
• Infographic: Chronic coal pollution Western Balkans
• Briefing: The health perspective of wood-burning in the Western Balkans region

4. An EDC-free future
Everyday exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals contributes to modern health epidemics like breast cancer and prostate cancer, obesity and diabetes as well as infertility and learning disorders.

Find out more:

• Infographic: 10 tips to avoid endocrine disruptors in and around your home (in collaboration with Mutualités Libres / Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen)
• Infographic: Under the Label – The story behind chemicals in cosmetics (in collaboration with Tegengif / Erase all Toxins)
• Infographic: How Europe can prevent cancer by tackling environmental pollutants (in collaboration with the European Cancer Leagues)
• Infographic on why low dose exposure matters (available in EN, FR, PT, ES, NL)
• FREIA research project: How can EDCs affect female reproductive health? 
• EDC-Free Europe campaign website (available in EN– DE – NL – SE – DK – ES – FR)

5. Clean up the air we breathe
Air pollution is the number one environmental threat to health in Europe, leading to 400,000 early deaths each year.

Find out more:

• HEAL 10 demands for a clean air for health transition, 2021-2030
• Infographic: Why clean air standards have to be health-based
• Infographic: Walking and cycling
• Campaign: Our healthy city of tomorrow (EN, PL, DE, ES, PT, FR)

6. Stop pesticides to promote health
Pesticides in our food, water and air can increase the risk of cancer and infertility, harm children’s healthy development and disrupt our hormonal systems.

Find out more:

• Campaign page: Why the EU needs to ban glyphosate to protect health 
• Infographic: Europe needs to ban glyphosate to protect farmers, our health and the environment
• Joint statement: The EU Commission must do better to transition away from synthetic pesticides
• Infographic: Ban the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos from our plates (available in EN, FR, ES)
• Factsheet: EU should ban brain-harming chlorpyrifos to protect health (available in EN, FR, ES)
• Video: Chlorpyrifos – Let’s get rid of this dangerous pesticide (available in EN, FR, ES, DE)

7. Healthy, renewable and efficient energy
Burning coal for energy production is the most polluting form of power generation and we pay for it with our health and our healthcare budgets.

Find out more:

• HEAL campaign page on prescription for a healthy energy future
• Healthy Energy briefing (EN, DE, PL, CZ)
• Lignite coal – Health effects and recommendations from the health sector (EN, TK, DE)
• Briefing: Just Transition for health protection
• Infographic: Just Transition for health protection
• Report: Chronic Coal pollution Turkey
• Briefing: Chronic coal pollution Turkey: Cumulative health effects
• Report: Chronic coal pollution Western Balkans (EN, SB, RO)
• Infographic: Chronic coal pollution Western Balkans
• Briefing: The health perspective of wood-burning in the Western Balkans region

8. A toxic-free future
75% of chemicals produced in the EU are hazardous to health.

Find out more:

• Factsheet: How Europe can lead the way to a non-toxic environment (EN, FR, NL)
• Campaign page: The chemicals in food contact materials are putting our health at risk
• Campaign page: The “forever chemicals” that are harming our helath: PFAS
• Infographic: 10 tips to avoid toxic chemicals during and after pregnancy (in collaboration with the Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics – FIGO and the University of California – San Francisco)
• Infographic: How Europe can prevent cancer by tackling environmental pollutants (in collaboration with the European Cancer Leagues)
• Infographic: Under The Label – The story behind chemicals in cosmetics (in collaboration with Tegengif / Erase All Toxins)
• Infographic: Harmful chemicals in food packaging are putting our health at risk (in collaboration with BEUC, CHEM Trust, ClientEarth and Zero Waste Europe)
• Infographic: How PFAS chemicals affect women, pregnancy and human development (in collaboration with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics – FIGO and the University of California in San Francisco – UCSF)
• Infographic: 10 tips to avoid endocrine disruptors in and around your home (in collaboration with Mutualités Libres / Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen)

9. Healthy mobility
Fossil fuelled cars, buses and trucks are noisy, pollute the air and threaten our health.

Find out more:

• Infographic: Walking and cycling
• Campaign: Our healthy city of tomorrow (EN, PL, DE, ES, PT, FR)
• HEAL project on healthy transport in Germany
• Healthy air, healthier children: 50 schools across the EU monitor air quality

10. A safe and toxic-free environment

Find out more:

• Turning the plastic tide: the chemicals in plastic that put our health at risk
• Infographic: Harmful chemicals in food packaging hamper the circular economy 
• Infographic: Under The Label – The story behind chemicals in cosmetics 
• Infographic: Harmful chemicals in food packaging are putting our health at risk
• Toxic Loophole – how hazardous waste is recycled into new products (available in EN, NL, FR, DE)
• Detoxing Carpets – Pathways towards safe and recyclable carpet in a truly circular economy (available in EN, NL, FR, DE)
• Toxic chemicals found in carpets sold by major European manufacturers (available in EN, FR, DE, NL)
• Infographic: the European Carpet Market (available in EN, FR, NL, DE)
• Infographic: What are the health impacts of toxic chemicals possibly present in carpets? (available in EN, FR, NL, DE)
• Infographic: Toxic chemicals detected in carpets and their potential health impacts
• Video: Toxic chemicals found in carpets sold by major European manufacturers