Hidrológiai Közlöny 1977 (57. évfolyam)
1. szám - Murawski Tadeusz: A magyar vízminőség-szabályozási UNDP/WHO Project és a WHO Európai Regionális Hivatalának főbb tevékenysége a környezeti szennyezések ellenőrzése terén
Murawski Tadeusz: A magyar vízminőségszabályozási UNDP /WHO Hidrológiai Közlöny 1977. 1. sz. 13 environmental health problems. A long-term programme for environmental pollution control was unanimously approved by the Regional Committee in 1969. It covers a period of ten years. The intention is to assist Member-States of the European Region in developing and applying practical methods and solutions to environmental problems within the Region. For example a new methodology may be tested in pilot areas. It is possible to have an interaction between country and inter-country projects. Results from a country project could illustrate the principles of methods of an inter-countrv project. Reversed, a country project could benefit from results gained in the inter-countrv projects, and duplication of work could be avoided. Steering committees which guide the long-term programme in environmental pollution control, meet from time to time to review and evaluate the progress of the activities. Symposia and seminars are organized to discuss the results. The intercountrv programme in environmental health is devoted entirely to pollution control, for which a ten-year (1969 — 1979) programme has been developed, covering water and air pollution control, solid waste disposal, noise, harmful effects of radiation, ecology and residuals in food. It conforms with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972). The energy crisis resulted in a slight reduction in air pollution, but the growing use of nuclear sources of power, on the other hand, will result in an increase in ionizing radiation, and preventive activities in this field have been intensified. The whole body burden approach in determining standards of environmental quality has led to the consideration of all routes of intake of toxic and other noxious substances by man. Food therefore plays an important role as a vector of environmental pollution and the extension of the food trade within and beyond the Region's boundaries has necessitated combined action by governments and a greater involvement on the part of health authorities. It is generally accepted that standards of environmental quality —the yard-sticks of environmental protection —are, in the first instance, a health-related problem and public health agencies are strengthening their participation in environmental control programmes by taking the lead in setting standards of environmental quality and ensuring compliance with them. The nervous stress of city dwellers is increased by noise at the place of work, at home and during travel. Modern technology provides for the application of nonionizing radiation in homes and industry, but this, in turn, creates new environmental hazards for man. Programmes for protection against environmental hazards have their origin partly in the field of occupational health. Working conditions in the Region are being improved and legislation and administration developed to this end. In a number of countries, projects are being established to assist in the development of occupational health services during the early stages of industrialization. The long-term programme in environmental pollution control in Europe has been in operation since 1969 and was reviewed by the twenty-fourth session of the Regional Committee of WHO in 1974. Programme objectives With the, objective of developing aids and management tools for health administration and other agencies engaged in environmental protection, the Regional Office's long-term programme in environmental pollution control continued during the past under three headings: (a) general activities, comprising programme planning and evaluation, environmental pollution information systems and terminology ; (b) development of services, manpower planning and training ; (c) sector programmes in the fields of ecology, water pollution control, air pollution control, solid waste management, poise control, radiation protection, food control and occupational health. More specifically, the programme objectives under the discussed, regional long-term programmes are: (a) To promote basic sanitation services and programmes aimed at protecting the population from microbiological pollution . (b) To facilitate governmental and intergovernmental action on pollution control in the Region by developing an agreed methodology of environmental pollution control. (c) To promote comprehensive environmental pollution control programmes aimed at protecting the population from health hazards and nuisances caused by physical and chemical pollution of the environment. (d) To assist in the development of adequate environmental health manpower and methodology. (e) To promote the development of servicos and programmes for the protection of the health of population at work places. Problem areas within the programme are being defined, as follows: — Lack of knowledge of the cause-and-effect relationship of various levels of population on human health. . — Lack of decision aids and management tools, Blich as information systems, for the control of environmental protection programmes. — Lack of standard terminology in the environmental health field. : — Inadequate definition of the role of health services in the field of environmental protection . — Lack of international understanding and agreement on standards and methodologies for the control of trans-frontier pollution problems. — Lack of manpower and insufficient training in environmental problems. Lines of approach in „attacking" the several problem areas, are being defined as follows: — To conduct epidemiological studies on the shortand long-term effects of pollution on health. — To assist Member States in setting up or developing pollution control programmes specifically designed to : (a) create decision aids and management tools, and to define standards and criteria ; (b) carry out research, in pilot areas, on the application of different approaches and methodologies, in order to determine the most effective procedure for control.
