Health and Environment Alliance

Luftqualität: Gesundheit durch neue Standards schützen

28th October 2022

Luftqualität: Gesundheit durch neue Standards schützen Hohe Risiken für akute und chronische Krankheiten durch Feinstaub und Stickstoffdioxid Hannover/Brüssel, 28.10.2022. Die Gefahr ist unsichtbar: Luftverschmutzung ist ein großer umweltbedingter Risikofaktor für die…

Air pollution law revision can be a game changer for zero-pollution ambition

27th October 2022

Today, the European Commission released the proposed update to the Ambient Air Quality Directives (AAQD), the first one since 2008. As part of the Zero Pollution Package, this proposal has…

Reactions from the health community on the European Commission’s proposal on updating the Ambient Air Quality Directive

26th October 2022

The European Commission’s proposal on the revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directive fails to address the urgency to act, to swiftly reduce the health burden. Reactions from the health community:

Civil society groups urge the EU to keep their promises to ban ‘forever chemicals’ PFAS

12th October 2022

46 European civil society organisations urgently demand EU member states and the Commission to ban all PFAS in consumer products by 2025 and across all uses by 2030.

Current pesticide reduction measures fail to protect vulnerable groups from pesticide pollution, new study from Italy shows

4th October 2022

A study carried out in the Italian province of Bolzano-South Tyrol reveals that despite measures taken by local authorities to reduce pesticide pollution, synthetic pesticides that can harm health and the environment are still detected in nearby children's playgrounds and schoolyards.

Today: HEAL in European Court of Justice to defend the ban of health-harming pesticide chlorpyrifos-methyl

8th September 2022

The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) will appear in the European Court of Justice today to support the European Commission in its defense over the ban of chlorpyrifos-methyl and the scientific assessment that led to it.

Health groups welcome Europe’s plan to reduce pesticide dependency but demand stronger protection measures

22nd June 2022

Responding to the European Commission's delayed proposal for a Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation (SUR), HEAL and several health groups caution that the measures set by the new plan will not achieve a meaningful reduction of Europe's dependency on synthetic pesticides.

Scientific evidence of glyphosate link to cancer dismissed in ongoing EU assessment, new report reveals

8th June 2022

A HEAL report published today shows that scientific evidence that glyphosate is carcinogenic has so far been dismissed in the EU scientific assessment that will form the basis for the re-approval discussion of its EU market license.

Leading Western Balkans health experts call on leaders in the region to set ambitious plans for zero air pollution policy

2nd June 2022

Leading health experts working in the Western Balkans, together with the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), have launched the first regional Expert Statement to call for the development and implementation…

Health and environmental groups raise alarms over EU Chemicals Agency’s failure to classify glyphosate as a carcinogen for human health

30th May 2022

Health and environmental organisations have expressed severe concerns after the European Chemicals Agency’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) concluded that the widely-used pesticide-active substance glyphosate does not meet the criteria to be labeled as a carcinogenic or genotoxic agent.

False fix: the hidden health impacts of Europe’s fossil gas dependency

18th May 2022

First of its kind analysis on the health harm of burning fossil gas shows that in 2019 alone, burning fossil gas for power (and heat) generation caused over 2,800 premature deaths from…

Delay to EU Pesticide Reduction Exposes Citizens to Increased Health Risks

23rd March 2022

Responding to the European Commission’s deferral [1] of today’s College discussion on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation (SUR) proposal contrary to what was originally announced [2], the…

Belgium set to launch its first-ever national action plan to increase health and environment protection from endocrine disrupting chemicals

28th February 2022

Health groups have welcomed Belgium’s first-ever draft national action plan on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) as an important step towards better identification of and health protection against the risks associated to exposure to such harmful substances.

Joint statement: The EU Commission must do better to transition away from synthetic pesticides

28th February 2022

70+ organisations have published ten demands to be urgently taken on board by the EU Commission for the revision of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive.

European Parliament recognises the European Green Deal as a significant contributing factor to cancer prevention in Europe

17th February 2022

The European Parliament has adopted its non-legislative report responding to the publication of the EU Commission 2021 communication on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, recognising the EU Green Deal is a key tool to limit people’s exposure to pollution and prevent cancer.

Letter: Health and environment groups urge EU Commissioners to support French proposal for EU restriction on harmful substances in single-use diapers

26th January 2022

In a letter published today, thirty-four civil society groups urge the European Commission to support a proposal put forward by French authorities to restrict a group of extremely hazardous substances from single-use babies’ diapers.

Decades of chronic coal pollution in Turkey have led to a large, unacceptable health burden

26th January 2022

HEAL’s new analysis on “Chronic coal pollution Turkey: Cumulative health effects” highlights that the country’s decades-long dependency on coal power generation has led to unacceptably high health impacts and costs.

How ATHLETE research on the Human Exposome offers tools for lifelong disease prevention and policy action: New overview article in Journal of Environmental Epidemiology

25th January 2022

A new overview paper in the Journal of Environmental Epidemiology connects the dots on how the ATHLETE project's research on the Human Exposome offers advanced tools for lifelong disease prevention and policy action.

Chemicals in tattoo inks & permanent make-up: EU-wide restriction covering over 4,000 substances enters into force today

4th January 2022

The legislative piece covers some 4,000 substances and aims to ensure citizens across the EU are equally protected from hazardous chemicals that may cause allergies and serious health impacts like cancer.

Experts highly concerned as EU body rejects proposal to exclude hazardous chemicals in diapers

9th December 2021

Health and environmental groups have reacted with severe concern after the European Chemicals Agency's scientific committees today rejected an attempt to eliminate hazardous chemicals from single-use babies' diapers.

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