The European Union (EU) just took an important step towards cleaning up its recycling; it will no longer allow materials containing a class of toxic and globally banned flame retardants - known as PBDEs - to be recycled.
Croatia holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of 2020. In a letter to Croatia's prime minister Andrej Plenkovic, HEAL shared its priorities on how we consider the Presidency can help advance the protection of health from environment and climate threats in the next months, particularly regarding the EU Green Deal proposal.
HEAL is a supporting organisation of the European Citizens’ Initiative “Save Bees and Farmers”, that launched in November 2019 with a vision of a pesticide-free Europe. Take a few minutes to sign the petition, available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish!
Transition to a toxic-free circular economy in the carpet industry still a distant reality, despite industry initiative – European Commission needs to set up EPR scheme as part of the…
In Turkey as in the whole of Europe, air pollution is the top environmental threat to health. However the country is lagging behind on clean air standards and monitoring of…
HEAL, together with 7 other health and environmental civil society organisations has today sent a letter to Executive Vice-Presidents Timmermans and Dombrovskis, and Commissioner Sinkevičius, to call on them to…
The European Chemicals Agency has recognised Perfluorobutane Sulfonic Acid, PFBS (and its salts) as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) [1]. PFBS is part of the large group of…
The Dutch government has been appealing the Urgenda verdict for 4 years - it should recognise that accepting and executing it will be a blessing, writes HEAL President Peter van den Hazel.
People in the EU have made unprecedented calls for change throughout 2019, demanding climate action, environmental protection, improved animal welfare and social justice. Food systems are pushing us across 'planetary…
Today, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal plan that sets out many environmental health issues, where the European Union policies such as climate, air or chemicals, can help deliver a zero pollution objective and better health protection for all. However, to achieve the transformational, systemic change needed to address the magnitude of the challenges the world is facing today, the timeline and scope of the European Green Deal will have to better reflect the evidence which clearly makes the case for more urgent action.
Representatives from the European Member States in the EU Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCOPAFF) today voted to ban the neurotoxic pesticides chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl from the EU market, a historic move that has been applauded by health and environment groups.
HEAL together with members called on the European College of Commissioners and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to translate the support they have expressed for environmental health protection during their parliamentary hearings into tangible and impactful policy proposals and legislation. Zero pollution and health protection need to be at the core of the Commission’s flagship European Green Deal. It is essential that the European Green Deal delivers on climate change, on clean air and on health protection from hazardous chemicals, including endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Our message on climate action as the biggest opportunity to benefit health today, tomorrow and for future generations is powerful, and should be heard everywhere, writes HEAL's Founder and Executive Director Genon K. Jensen.
The Commission Staff Working Document on the Fitness Check of the Ambient Air Quality Directives, published today, makes it abundantly clear that it is necessary and beneficial to have European air quality standards. At the same time, the assessment points out that standards need to be implemented and applied rigorously, and that the current standards are not fully based on the latest science and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.
New research published today finds that new-borns in intensive care units are in contact with a variety of medical products that contain bisphenol A (BPA) and parabens. Infants are particularly vulnerable to the effects from these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), causing scientists and health groups alike to demand more comprehensive regulation of EDCs across the board for better protection.
The Urban Agenda Partnership on Air Quality has just launched a new Training Course on Air Quality and Health: Methods, Tools and Practices for Better Air Quality Action Planning that…
Today, the 2019 Lancet Countdown report has been published, with a focus on children's health and climate change, but also on the potential of transforming children's health through climate action for the better.
