HEAL advocates for policies to benefit peoples’ health and the environment
Stay up to date, read HEAL’s latest news, press releases, letters, briefings, policy papers, scientific statements and many other publications.
Press contact: Elke Zander elke@env-health.org
Heatwaves – A major health threat
11th August 2022
HEAL dives into the impacts of heatwaves on human health and what policy action is needed to stop this from happening.
Joint letter: Restriction of bisphenols under the REACH Regulation – setting the right precedent
26th July 2022
Nine health and environmental groups have written to the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection regarding the upcoming proposal to restrict Bisphenol A and structurally related bisphenols of similar concern under the REACH Regulation.
Toolkit: Advocating for clean air – how to communicate the science
19th July 2022
HEAL has produced a science to policy communications toolkit for fellow NGOs and anyone working on clean air advocacy.
#ToxicFreePackaging: Launching a new website on toxic-free food packaging
14th July 2022
To raise awareness about the presence of hazardous substances in food contact materials and why we need more protective regulations to address them, HEAL has teamed up with Zero Waste Europe and CHEM Trust to launch a new website on toxic-free food packaging.
Infographic: How can a revised CLP Regulation help identify harmful endocrine disrupting chemicals?
13th July 2022
HEAL’s new infographic illustrates how the upcoming revision of the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation can help better identify harmful endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) within European chemicals laws.
Letter to PAFF Committee: Call to adopt without delay the Implementing Regulation harmonising the content and format of the pesticide use records
11th July 2022
58 organisations across Europe are calling on representatives of national governments and members of the PAFF Committee to adopt without delay the Implementation Regulation harmonising the content and format of the pesticide use records.
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…
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…
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…
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 letter: Restriction of bisphenols under the REACH Regulation – setting the right precedent
26th July 2022
Nine health and environmental groups have written to the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection regarding the upcoming proposal to restrict Bisphenol A and structurally related bisphenols of similar concern under the REACH Regulation.
Letter to PAFF Committee: Call to adopt without delay the Implementing Regulation harmonising the content and format of the pesticide use records
11th July 2022
58 organisations across Europe are calling on representatives of national governments and members of the PAFF Committee to adopt without delay the Implementation Regulation harmonising the content and format of the pesticide use records.
Joint letter from health organisations to the European Parliament’s ITRE committe: vote on REDIII and biomass
8th July 2022
The letter calls on MEPs in the committee to no longer classify wood as a renewable energy source in the new RED III and to stop subsidies for wood as an energy source.
Letter to European Parliament: Keep the EU Taxonomy fossil gas free for better health – vote against the delegated act
1st July 2022
HEAL has sent a letter to Members of European Parliament, calling to keep the EU…
Letter to EU energy ministers: Ending the EU’s fossil fuel dependency for better health
22nd June 2022
HEAL has sent a letter to EU energy ministers ahead of their meeting on 27 June 2022 calling on them to end the EU’s fossil fuel dependency for better health.
There is no “safe level” of air pollution
18th October 2021
Health groups call on the leaders of the Western Balkan countries to harmonize national air quality standards with the World Health Organization Global air quality guidelines. Health experts should be actively involved in these decision-making processes to ensure the timely integration of public health measures into environmental policies. Compliance with WHO recommendations brings multiple benefits – reduced incidence of chronic diseases and premature deaths, reduced overall health costs and, most importantly, better health and higher productivity of people.
A tale of disruption: looking back at one decade of Europe’s (unkept) promises to address endocrine disrupting pesticides
29th July 2021
By using the example of the ongoing assessments of five substances that have long been suspected to disrupt our thyroid function, HEAL's Natacha Cingotti and Angeliki Lyssimachou illustrate the extremely slow pace of and the related weakness in the implementation of Europe’s promises to protect people, animals and wildlife from effects associated to exposure to endocrine disruptors.
Announcement of Belchatow coal plant closure is turning point for health
10th June 2021
Therefore, the Belchatow closure announcement is a milestone for better health protection for the people in Poland and beyond, and shows that there is a growing recognition that coal cannot have a place in a healthy energy future for Poland, or elsewhere.
At the same time, there’s no reason for leaning back, as we have not reached our goal of a coal phase out in the EU by 2030 yet - a date that is scientifically proven to be needed to slow down the climate crisis.
Beat pollution today to prevent disease tomorrow – for everyone
4th June 2021
By Genon K. Jensen, HEAL’s Executive Director Adapted from speech given at high level event…
Greater health engagement and commitment needed to clean up the air in Serbia
14th May 2021
The launch of the first ever national Air protection Program in the Republic of Serbia…
Turning the plastic tide: how upgraded chemicals regulations are piece and parcel of addressing the plastics challenge
21st October 2020
Taking on the plastics challenge in a way that puts health and the environment first to deliver on Europe’s Zero Pollution ambition requires upgrading European regulations on chemicals and articles in which they are used, encompassing the entire lifecycle of plastics.