Transport and health

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• New report gives preliminary dose estimation from Fukushima nuclear accident
  23-05-2012
  The report describes a preliminary estimate of radiation doses to the public resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear site in Japan in March 2011.
• WHO launches expanded European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany: new report on environmental health inequalities published
  14-02-2012
  One citizen out of five dies from environment-associated diseases in the WHO European Region. The environmental burden of ill health varies significantly across the Region, however, ranging from 14% to 54%. Within countries, the poor can be exposed to environmental risks five times more often than their wealthier peers, a new WHO report concludes.
• Exchange programme highlights road-safety developments in Turkey and Russian Federation
  17-01-2012
  The Road Safety in 10 Countries Project, RS10, focused on seat-belt use and speed control during its first stage. Meeting in Ankara, Turkey on 7–9 December 2011, members of the project teams in Turkey and the Russian Federation discussed progress so far.
• WHO Rome office closes at the end of 2011
  20-12-2011
  The Rome office of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health is due to close at the end of December 2011. WHO’s work on environment and health in Europe remains a priority and is being consolidated in Bonn, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark. This will allow the WHO Regional Office for Europe to maintain and strengthen its technical capacities in this area for the benefit of the 53 Member States of the European Region.
• Drink–driving: still a deadly seasonal cocktail
  15-12-2011
  Road accidents usually increase during the winter holiday season, owing to higher levels of drinking. Although all European countries have national policies on drink–driving, enforcement remains a critical issue.
• WHO highlights the co-benefits for health of transport policies that mitigate climate change
  06-12-2011
  A new WHO report, part of the Health in the Green Economy series, considers the evidence regarding health co-benefits, and risks, of climate change mitigation strategies for transport, as reviewed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007. In the European Region, WHO is promoting climate change mitigation strategies for transport within the Framework for Action on climate change and the pan-European programme on transport, health and environment (THE PEP).
• THE PEP Symposium 2011 to discuss inclusive and innovative urban mobility
  14-11-2011
  European challenges and successes towards sustainable urban mobility and improved individual health will be showcased at the second Symposium organized under the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP).
• Joint action on environmental health threats discussed
  02-11-2011
  Meeting for the first time in Bled, Slovenia, on 26–28 October 2011, the European Environment and Health Task Force discussed proposed areas of joint action to implement the commitments agreed by European countries in the Parma Declaration on Environment and Health.
• WHO's Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) 'Highly Commended' at the UK National Transport Awards
  24-10-2011
  HEAT was praised for its contribution to sustainable transport at a ceremony held in London on 7 October 2011. By providing a methodology and a user-friendly tool that calculates in economic terms the health benefits of cycling or walking as a means of transport, HEAT supports policies to reduce the transport impact on health and the environment. HEAT also helps make the case for promoting physical activity as a means of transport, demonstrating that shifting the balance from motorized transport to cycling and walking brings additional benefits to health associated with increased physical activity.
• WHO/Europe highlights the health dimension at the ‘Environment for Europe’ Conference
  21-09-2011
  With side events and exhibitions, WHO will keep the spotlight on health at the forthcoming Seventh "Environment for Europe" Ministerial Conference, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 21-23 September 2011. The Conference main themes are sustainable management of water and water-related ecosystems, and greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development. Both themes belong to long-standing areas of collaboration between WHO/Europe and UNECE, as part of the European Environment and Health Process and of the implementation of the Parma Ministerial Declaration on environment and health.
• WHO's Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) helps assessing the health benefits of public bicycle sharing scheme in Barcelona, Spain
  06-09-2011
  Bicing is a public bicycle sharing scheme in Barcelona, Spain, with about 182,000 subscribers. A health impact assessment study estimated the risks and benefits to health of travel by bicycle compared with travel by car in an urban environment. Results show that the public bicycle scheme brings benefits to health by increasing the levels of physical activity, and also through reducing carbon dioxide emission. The study used WHO guidance and HEAT, the Health Economic Assessment Tool, to estimate the health benefits of cycling.
• Road safety saves lives and money
  25-05-2011
  Road-traffic crashes kill over 350 Europeans every day, or over 120 000 per year. Almost half of them are pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists, and 6 out of 10 are aged 5–44 years. This unacceptable toll is particularly high in low- and middle-income countries.  At the 2011 summit of the International Transport Forum (ITF) in Leipzig, Germany, WHO/Europe is launching the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 in the WHO European Region, along with the Global Plan for the Decade, which sets out how countries can save money, as well as lives.
• Road Safety Decade launches today
  11-05-2011
  Road traffic injuries kill some 127 000 people in the WHO European Region every year. WHO/Europe welcomes the Decade of Action on Road Safety 2011–2020, which aims to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries in the Region and the world.
• “Sport for all” policies encourage physical activity
  10-05-2011
  WHO/Europe is leading a project to encourage greater synergy between different sectors working to increase sport and health-enhancing physical activity. 10 May is Move for Health Day.
• Ministers push environment and health commitments forward
  05-05-2011
  Environment and health ministers, meeting in Paris this week, have agreed on how to monitor progress in reducing the adverse health impact of environmental threats across the European Region. The first meeting of the European Ministerial Board on Environment and Health took place on 4-5 May 2011.
• New evidence from WHO on health effects of traffic-related noise in Europe
  30-03-2011
  Traffic-related noise accounts for over 1 million healthy years of life lost annually to ill health, disability or early death in the western countries in the WHO European Region. This is the main conclusion of the first report assessing the burden of disease from environmental noise in Europe, released today by WHO/Europe. Noise causes or contributes to not only annoyance and sleep disturbance but also heart attacks, learning disabilities and tinnitus.
• Earth Hour: use energy wisely
  09-03-2011
  20.30 to 21.30 on Saturday 26 March 2011 will mark Earth Hour, when lights will be switched off around the globe so people can take a stand against climate change. Reducing overall energy use and encouraging the uptake of renewable energy sources have a dual benefit for health. This year we are being encouraged to “Go beyond the hour!”  
• Being physically active helps prevent cancer
  04-02-2011
  On World Cancer Day on 4 February, WHO/Europe points at physical activity as an effective means to prevent cancer, together with avoiding tobacco and following a healthy diet, and invites policy-makers to strengthen efforts to encourage active transport.
• Green transport benefits health, creates jobs and combats climate change
  17-12-2010
• Towards sustainable transport patterns: THE PEP symposium and meeting of THE PEP Steering Committee. Geneva, Switzerland, 8-10 December 2010
  05-12-2010
  The Steering Committee of the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) reviews progress made, decides on activities and adopts workplans. This year, for the first time, the meeting will be preceded by a symposium on “Green and health-friendly investment and jobs in transport” with speakers from governments, civil society and the private sector.
• Annual meeting and second conference of HEPA Europe. Olomouc, Czech Republic, 24-26 November 2010
  30-09-2010
• Safe and healthy walking and cycling in urban areas workshop. Batumi, Georgia, 30 September-1 October
  17-09-2010
  In this workshop, organized within the Pan-European Programme on Transport, Health and Environment (THE PEP), participants will identify challenges and needs regarding the promotion of innovative policies to support walking and cycling as increasingly viable and attractive modes of urban mobility. Policy areas under discussion include planning, financing, infrastructure development and regulations.  
• Travel smarter, live better: European Mobility Week starts today
  17-09-2010
  The European Mobility Week is a European Union campaign aiming at raising citizens’ awareness on the use of public transport, cycling, walking and at encouraging European cities to promote these modes of transport and to invest in the new necessary infrastructures. A healthier and more sustainable mobility is also the ultimate goal of WHO/Europe’s activities in the area of transport and health. To reach this goal, WHO develops tools to support transport choices which benefit health and the environment, and works in collaboration with Member States through the Pan-European Programme on Transport, Health and Environment (THE PEP).
• Developing guidance and a practical tool for economic assessment of health effects from walking: expert meeting in Oxford, United Kingdom, 1-2 July 2010
  24-06-2010
  The development of a Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) for walking is led by a core group of experts and supported by an international advisory group. Reviews of the epidemiological and economic literature are underway as a basis for the development of the guidance and the tool. The final products are planned to be available in early 2011.
• 10 May: Move for Health Day
  22-05-2010
  National initiatives to promote physical activity.
• Health in All Policies in practice: guidance and tools to quantifying the health effects of cycling and walking
  27-04-2010
  A project to quantify the positive health effects of cycling and walking has resulted in guidance and tools described in a recent article in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. It concludes that substantial savings can be expected from increased cycling and walking.