PROGRAMME

Environmental quality is closely related to human health. In recent years, the growing awareness has led to the definition of an integrated "One Health" approach to protect simultaneously environment, humans and animals. Poor air quality is the most important factor affecting human health and increasing mortality and morbidity. Improving environmental quality is crucial to prevent human health-related risks. Poor air quality is the most important factor affecting human health and increasing mortality risk. The estimates reveal that in 2019 it led 7 million deaths with an alarming percentage of premature ones. Among diseases caused by poor air quality 70% are non-communicable and 60% affect the cardiovascular system. The economic effects are also important: medical expenses increase while the general productivity decreases due to people who cannot work for health-related problems. The situation in the European Union is slowly improving thanks to the joint efforts of the European Commission and the World Health Organization. The most significant health-related risks usually occur in urban areas. This work aims to define the state of the art on environmental policies implemented and identify direct and indirect strategies for control pollutants and reduce health risks. Future perspectives are also presented.