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Environment and Health are Closely Related

4 Sources of environmental health effects

Food, the working environment, indoor climate, air, water, soil, consumer products, noise, and radiation are the most important sources causing human exposure to environmental factors.

4.1 Food

Consumers want healthy and safe food. Food can be polluted by chemicals, residues of pesticides, and other environmental factors. These risk factors must be prevented and limited at source. Substances allowed in food production, such as pesticides, food additives and veterinary medicines, must be assessed and approved before they are used. Food manufacturers are generally responsible for the safety and quality of food. The authorities ensure that there is good information about the safety of food, and they supervise producers‘ compliance with existing limit values.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The objective is an unconditional high level of protection in the food area.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration will regularly adapt existing limit values and set further limit values for both residues of chemical substances and environmental pollutants. The limit values will be set on the basis of health assessments, and acknowledging the precautionary principle. The concepts of good agricultural practice (GAP) and good manufacturing practice (GMP) will also be applied. This is realised in the principle that a limit value is set as low as possible (the ALARA principle: as low as reasonably achievable). ALARA, GAP, and GMP are also applied at international level.

There is a high level of protection for veterinary medicines and food additives that are permitted in food production and that appear on positive lists in the EU. Legislation is regularly monitored and revised, and new knowledge leads to revised conditions for the use of substances in practice. These substances are permitted when a technological need has been documented and when there are no health risks. An assessment of whether there is a risk that consumers may be misled is also carried out for food additives.

Extra initiatives will be taken with regard to releases of chemicals from packaging and for aromatics in order to ensure that the conditions for use are set as restrictively as necessary when preparing the positive lists in the EU. There are a great many substances to be assessed, and the initiatives will be demanding on resources.

The basis for approving pesticides is that they can only be permitted and applied if the high level of protection can be ensured. In March 2003, the European Commission presented a proposal for revising the rules on setting limit values for pesticide residues. The proposal states that a fixed maximum limit of 0.01* mg/kg should be set as a basis for all substances that have not been assessed. The limit of 0.01* mg/kg is the lowest analytical detection limit, but in certain circumstances it can be set lower for health reasons. The Danish government will work to raise the priority for setting the common EU limit values for pesticide residues in food, as there is still no common limit value for several hundred substances.

There may be a need to examine the problem more closely for chemical substances, where there is a suspicion of a health risk, and where there is a lack of knowledge about which food the chemicals are found in, and their quantity and source.

In the EU, the existing Regulation on Contamination in Food is being expanded and data on pollutants such as PAHs is being collected for EU scientific work. In autumn 2001 the European Commission‘s proposal on setting limit values for dioxin and PCBs in food and animal feed was adopted. The proposed limit values entered into force on 1 July 2002. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of the Environment have prepared a joint action plan to ensure the best possible follow up when the limit values are exceeded. This means, for example that if the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration finds excess dioxin in milk, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency or the Danish Plant Directorate must find the source, and as far as possible ensure that the limit value is not exceeded again.

In 2000 and 2001, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of the Environment presented Action Plan for Dioxin and Dioxin-like PCBs. The action plan with information on the occurrence of dioxin in the environment, animal feed, and food is to be taken further as an important supplement to EU regulation. As part of the Action Plan, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries has initiated a comprehensive project to chart the occurrence of dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs in fish caught in Danish waters. This exercise will ensure that any future decisions can be made with a well-documented basis.

4.2 Working environment

Many health problems related to the working environment arise from exposure to chemical substances and physical environmental factors such as noise. Also of significance is the indoor climate and exposure to micro-biological factors, as well as radiation in varying degrees. The objective is that Danish workplaces should be a healthy and safe framework for employees, see the action programme "Clean Working Environment 2005”.

4.2.1 Chemicals

The vision is that, by 2020, no employee should be exposed to harmful effects caused by heavy metals, carcinogens, organic solvents, or other hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

As follow up to the visions of no work-related exposures to carcinogenic chemical substances, organic solvents and heavy metals, the National Working Environment Authority will emphasise the following elements in regulations, guidelines, supervision, and inspection, in cooperation with the social partners:

• The use of chemicals at workplaces must be minimised as far as possible.
• Work-related exposure to carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and allergenic substances must be avoided by using the least dangerous substances or materials (the substitution principle).
• Enterprises must receive clear directions for use from manufacturers.
• Working environment conditions and prevention of industrial injuries must be included in the planning phase.
• Suppliers must be motivated to develop products that take health and safety into account.
• The social partners must support initiatives to phase out problematic substances.

In order to ensure a good knowledge base for working environment initiatives against hazardous chemical substances, there is a need for information about the toxicity and dangers of chemical substances, so that the most important substances causing the development of occupational disorders can be identified. Tools such as registers and methods must be developed and applied to identify and monitor the spread, scope, and risk of both exposures and diseases in Danish businesses.

4.2.2 Noise

Noise from machines, tools, and processes is a serious problem at Danish workplaces. The Action Programme for a Clean Working Environment 2005 has an objective to reduce or eliminate entirely hearing damage as a result of noise at work.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

Further to the vision of no hearing damage from noise at work, in the period 2002-2006, noise causing hearing damage will receive top priority, not forgetting nuisance noise.

The goal for noise harmful to hearing is to reduce the number of cases exceeding the limit value to a minimum, and to reduce unnecessary noise as much as possible. The National Working Environment Authority is initiating the process to reduce noise by issuing improvement notices for noise harmful to hearing. The process should be backed up by the Occupational Health Service and the social partners with information and suggested solutions.

The machines, processes, and work situations where it is currently not possible to reduce noise adequately will be identified. Pressure will be put on individual enterprises, suppliers will be involved, and opportunities to enhance research efforts in the area should be found.

Developments in the noise field will be followed in the monitoring project, and through a research project about noise exposure in risk sectors.

With regard to nuisance noise, the National Working Environment Authority will seek knowledge about such noise and how it affects health, including nuisance noise in offices.

In 2002, the National Working Environment Authority ran a special initiative for day-care institutions, and noise was one of the topics.

4.3 Indoor climate

Indoor climate is very significant for our quality of life because we spend most of our lives indoors at home and at work. The indoor climate can be influenced from a number of sources, by many different environmental factors, and many people will experience nuisance and symptoms resulting from a poor indoor climate. Dust mites in the indoor climate can cause development of allergies and respiratory disorders, and other environmental factors can exacerbate these. Radon in the indoor climate is a contributory cause of lung cancer. Future extended initiatives to create a better and healthier indoor climate call for expansion of the current cooperation between the authorities. At the same time, the knowledge currently available must be operationalised to a greater extent through communication and guidelines, as a greater degree of compliance with advice and guidelines will lead to significant improvements in the indoor climate. At workplaces there is a need for supervision in order to maintain a good indoor climate.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The overall objective for this area is to ensure a good indoor climate, and to ensure that the risk of nuisance, disease, and symptoms resulting from environmental factors is abated as far as possible.

The coordinating working group (see section 6) will ensure a more cohesive effort by the authorities to protect the indoor climate. The working group should ensure greater cooperation in work by the authorities to prepare guidelines and initiatives to protect the indoor climate, for example through quality requirements and limit values.

The existing knowledge in the area must benefit the population to a greater extent through improved communication and consultancy. The Ministry of Employment, the Ministry of the Environment, and the National Agency for Enterprise and Housing will start initiatives to improve the indoor climate. These will include intensifying consultancy and advisory efforts and ensuring that the rules are complied with at workplaces.

The Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs will issue two instructions to professional building inspectors for use in inspection, assessment, restoration, and renovation of buildings with mould-fungus problems. In addition, the building sector is working with the "Dry Building" initiative, which will help reduce the risk of rising damp, and thus the formation of mould, early in the construction phase.

The Ministry of Employment will continue its work to improve the working environment with respect to microbiological impacts. Amongst other things, the significance of mould fungus for the development of indoor climate symptoms will be researched further, and the rules regarding securing the building against mould fungus will be tightened.

The National Agency for Enterprise and Housing will support extension of the voluntary labelling scheme, "Dansk Indeklima Mærkning" ("Danish indoor climate labelling"), for relevant products. Labelling will also take account of more health effects than previously. For example, allergies and cancer could be included. At the moment, work is taking place to expand the scheme with new product standards for furniture, filler, concrete elements, brickwork, and ventilation and air conditioning systems.

The National Agency for Enterprise and Housing and the National Board of Health will continue to focus on preventive measures against the radon problem in the indoor climate. The National Institute of Public Health will enhance initiatives for better registration of indoor-climate nuisance, in order to build knowledge in connection with indoor-climate-related health problems. One measure for this will be completion of a questionnaire survey.

The National Working Environment Authority will promote mapping buildings in connection with workplace assessments, and this includes plans for renovation and maintenance.

Research and development in a number of areas will be part of the basis for further initiatives for the indoor climate. In particular, areas include:

• knowledge about the scope and significance of different impacts from pollution sources and about psychosocial conditions in relation to public health and well-being indoors.
• knowledge about correct consultancy, including through completing "before-and-after" surveys in order to assess the effect of specific initiatives to improve the indoor climate.
• knowledge to prepare relevant standards/quality requirements for specific risk factors in the indoor climate. * further knowledge about how planning, projecting, construction, operation, and maintenance of buildings can take optimal account of reducing indoor-climate impacts.

4.4 Air

A large amount of human activity creates air pollution. Traffic, energy generation, industry, and waste incineration are the dominant sources of air pollution in Denmark. Air pollution includes a number of components harmful to health such as particles, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, heavy metals, ozone, and other chemical compounds. The present levels of particles, both fine and ultra-fine particles, are regarded as a serious health problem. A lot of work is taking place nationally and internationally, including in the EU, to monitor and improve air quality.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The overall objective is high quality of air, where emissions of harmful substances into the air and impacts harmful to public health are reduced as far as possible.

Denmark will continue international activities to combat air pollution. Concerted regional and global efforts are vital because air pollution is transboundary. The overall objective is to achieve air quality with no negative effects on the population. Air pollution must be reduced, and therefore Denmark will work for effective policies both in the EU and globally. This work will concentrate on transport and energy.

As a result of an EU directive on national emission ceilings for 2010, Denmark must reduce emissions of SO₂, NO_x, VOCs, and ammonia. The Danish government has a further objective to limit emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from transport by 60%, compared to levels in 1988. Meeting national emissions ceilings at EU level will reduce the formation of ozone and thus the content of ozone in the air. In the same period, the government will halve the emissions of particles by traffic in towns and cities.

The joint working group from the Ministry of the Environment and National Board of Health on outdoor air pollution will continue to assess regularly the health aspects connected to air pollution in Denmark.

The relationship between particulate pollution and harmful health effects is well documented. However, there is a need to know more about how individual sources of pollution contribute to human exposure to fine and ultra-fine particles, and how they affect health - especially in a Danish context. It is important to gain more knowledge about these relationships in order to identify particularly pollutant sources, other than diesel-driven vehicles, and in order to be able to give more precise assessments of the health benefits of specific measures against the individual sources of pollution.

The Ministry of the Environment will take initiatives to improve the basis for preventing air pollution, particularly from fine and ultra-fine particles. The Danish Finance Act 2002-2004 allocates DKK 3 million to this matter. Furthermore, the sub-programme ”Environment and Transport” (1999-2003) under the Strategic Environmental Research Programme has initiated research projects to illustrate a number of relationships between air pollution and public health.

The Ministry of the Environment has a nationwide air-monitoring programme with systematic measurements of the air content of coarse and fine particles (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) in Denmark. Measuring these particles is currently the best available indicator of the health damage resulting from particle pollution.

In June 2003, the government published a report on air pollution from particles. The report confirms that emissions of diesel particles are a special problem in densely built-up areas subject to heavy traffic. On the basis of foreign surveys and Danish estimates of particle emissions, it is estimated that by installing particle filters on all heavy vehicles in Denmark, urban levels of ultra-fine particles could be reduced by 20 per cent, and about 450 deaths could be avoided each year. It is clear that, for various reasons, it is not possible to install particle filters on all heavy vehicles, and therefore the health benefits would be smaller. The report indicates a special area for initiatives to continue tightening the requirements on particle emissions from diesel vehicles through standards work in the EU. Furthermore, the report describes trials with environment zones with, for example, restricted access for vehicles unless they have a particle filter installed.

We need greater knowledge about the sources of dioxin and the amount emitted from the different sources. The Ministry of the Environment is carrying out an extensive measuring programme to measure the amount of dioxin emitted from different sources, and the deposition of dioxin on land and in water. In addition, the Ministry of the Environment is cooperating with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries to examine the relationship between emissions of dioxins and their occurrence in food. In connection with this, there is regular follow-up to the Dioxin Action Plan.

4.5 Water

4.5.1 Groundwater and drinking water

Protection of the groundwater is top priority, as about 99 per cent of drinking water in Denmark is virtually almost untreated groundwater. Danish drinking water is generally of high quality. However, in certain places there are problems with high concentrations of pesticides and a number of substances harmful to health in groundwater.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The overall objective is that there should continue to be adequate clean groundwater in the future so that there is no need to treat the water for pollutants before it becomes part of the drinking water supply. The current high level of protection from micro-biological pollution in drinking water is considered satisfactory and will therefore be continued.

In order to achieve this objective, regulation of pesticides and their application will also be accorded high priority in the future. In 2003 a new goal will be set to reduce the frequency crops are treated. The long-term goal is to develop cultivation strategies that reduce the agricultural sector‘s dependency on pesticides, enabling their use can be minimised as far as possible. The use of pesticides by Danish agriculture must be reduced, at the same time ensuring profitable cultivation. In the long term, the use of pesticides must be reduced as far as possible. There must also be international focus on the over consumption of pesticides. Pesticides must be assessed restrictively both in Denmark and internationally.

BAM is a decomposition product from two pesticide products and is a problem inherited from the past. Today this is the single substance posing the greatest threat to water supplies. Surveys show that the substance is present in every fourth waterworks drilling and in every third small private water-supply installation. The Ministry of the Environment has allocated DKK 10 million over the next four years for studies of BAM and for studies of the water quality in private wells and drillings.

At the same time, counties will continue remediating waste deposits and landfills, and make the process more efficient via the programme for technological development of soil and groundwater contamination. The problems of nitrate in drinking water must also continue to be followed closely, in order to ensure that the groundwater content does not exceed levels that can be harmful to health.

One of the central elements in protecting the groundwater is designation by counties of areas with special drinking water interest that cover the most important sources of groundwater. There must be a detailed mapping and survey of the areas especially vulnerable to certain pollutants such as nitrate. The areas identified must be subject to closer examination covering detailed mapping of land use, pollution threats, and natural protection of groundwater resources. On the basis of this, the county will prepare an action plan describing the need for any changes in land use. Using the action plan as a foundation, counties, local authorities, and waterworks will be able to enter into agreements with landowners on regulating agricultural activities, purchasing property, etc. for the parts of the waterworks‘ capture upland with needs for changes in land use.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Ministry of the Environment has initiated research and development work to assess whether areas especially sensitive to pesticide pollution can be indicated. Please see section 4 on soil contamination.

At the moment, components used in installations must be approved in accordance with requirements laid down by the National Agency for Enterprise and Housing. The current national scheme will be replaced by a European scheme. In light of this, the National Agency for Enterprise and Housing will work with the Ministry of the Environment to examine the possibilities of reassessing the approval scheme in order to ensure that metal from the installation does not cause a deterioration in the quality of drinking water.

Moreover, before a risk assessment of the environmental impacts is possible, there is a need for more knowledge about the effects and fate of veterinary and human medicines, including whether they can leach into the groundwater. This will be a task for the Research Councils.

4.5.2 Sea and lakes

Beaches and lakes designated as bathing areas must have good, hygienic quality. High-quality bathing water requires a low content of infectious matter. Discharges into the aquatic environment of substances harmful to health must be limited. Wastewater treatment in the open country must be improved. This will also further improve the quality of bathing water. Development of better and new methods to manage wastewater will continue.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The overall objective is to ensure the least possible impacts from wastewater on the sea and lakes.

Initiatives to improve wastewater treatment in properties in the open country not connected to the sewerage system will contribute to a general improvement in the quality of water in water courses and lakes, and thus an improvement in the quality of bathing water.

At places where problems in bathing water quality have been ascertained, the Ministry of the Environment has stressed to the counties involved that they must work to meet the goals laid down in the regional plan. This work will continue until there are no more bathing sites with poor quality water due to wastewater impacts.

The occurrence of endocrine disrupters and their fate in wastewater, the aquatic environment and treatment plants, as well as their effects on fish must be investigated. On the basis of the study of existing knowledge, the necessary initiatives to solve the problem of sexual disturbances in fish in Danish watercourses will be identified.

International agreements have been entered on the reduction of discharges of substances dangerous for the environment. In connection with permits to discharge substances dangerous for the environment, in general such substances must be assessed for their toxicity, biodegradability, bioaccumulation, content of carcinogenic substances, etc.

The EU Water Framework Directive, adopted in 2000, sets requirements after 2006 for further initiatives against substances dangerous for the environment, both at common European level, and in Member States.

4.5.3 Swimming pools

There is a high level of protection of water quality in public swimming pools. Harmful micro-organisms are removed so that they do not pose a health risk. Too many people using the pool at one time, and inadequate washing before they swim, can mean that substances harmful to health are spread in swimming pools. Regular supervision and inspection of swimming pools and swimmers‘ hygiene are important, and tighter requirements must be considered.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The overall objective is that the quality of water in swimming pools must be good enough to avoid harm to health through normal use of the pool.

The Ministry of the Environment is investigating whether the existing quality requirements adequately safeguard risk groups. The Ministry of the Environment will also carry out a risk assessment of the micro-organisms that are not covered by quality requirements.

Furthermore it is important to ensure understanding amongst personnel and pool guests that complying with the hygiene instructions means that addition of chemicals to clean the water can be reduced as much as possible. 

4.6 Soil

Contaminated soil must not threaten drinking water or human health. The soil is contaminated in large areas of towns and cities by chemicals that are typically the results of past commercial activities or deposition from the air. Heavily contaminated soil can affect health, if people come into direct contact with the soil, or if the pollutant substances evaporate and are inhaled or absorbed by plants or animals used as food. Contaminated areas must be mapped and remediated, and people must be safeguarded from coming into contact with contaminated soil. Diffuse effects on agricultural areas as a result of agricultural activities should continue to be monitored and assessed in an environmental and health context.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The overall objective is to ensure that soil contamination in residential areas, and pollution that can endanger the current and future water supply, do not give rise to health problems.

Therefore, it is important to maintain efforts against past and future soil contamination, including non-point-source pollution in connection with field use, that should be monitored and assessed in an environmental and health context.

The Ministry of the Environment will promote methods for remediation and to limit exposures, partly to protect the groundwater, and also so that efforts against soil contamination can be completed as efficiently as possible. The Ministry of the Environment will constantly monitor possible new contamination sources, and it will assess special regulatory requirements for these in order to prevent soil contamination in the future. The principles for the initiatives to be implemented in order to improve knowledge about remediation, surveys, and risk assessments of soil contamination are described in the annual Programme for Development of Technology -Soil and Groundwater Contamination under the Ministry of the Environment.

Because of the enormous amount of work involved in mapping and remediating contaminated sites, efforts will take place over a longer period, and counties and municipalities will concentrate at first on areas with the greatest exposure risks, for example dwellings and childcare institutions, and where drinking water supplies can be under threat either now or in the future. The Soil Contamination Act is based on the polluter pays principle, but in connection with pollution that has already happened, there are legal problems in making the polluter liable for pollution and therefore remediation.

In the years to come, research and development will make up part of the basis for the preventive initiatives against soil contamination. Important areas are knowledge about assessing risks and level of protection for soil contamination, including:

• knowledge about the bio-accessibility of soil contamination
• knowledge about evaporation of soil contamination and its effects on the indoor climate
• knowledge about leaching into the groundwater, also in connection with non-point source impacts on agricultural soil and crops
• development of cost-effective methods to map soil contamination.

4.7 Consumer products

As consumers, we are exposed to chemical substances everywhere through the chemical products we use every day. Allergies are the health effects most often connected with using consumer products. Other than allergies, we have no immediate knowledge of the severe health problems caused through normal use of individual consumer products. Consumer products can, how ever, also be the cause of cases of poisoning due to incorrect or unforeseen use. The diffuse spread of chemicals in many products, and the use of many different consumer products is a cause for concern for adverse health effects in the long term. The goal is to increase knowledge about which problem substances are present in consumer products and whether exposure to these substances increases health risks. The goal also includes having all consumer products subject to chemical regulations.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

Consumers must be protected, and they must be able to protect themselves against chemicals in all types of products. International activities regarding chemicals in consumer products are necessary because chemicals spread across national borders, primarily through trade, but also through the environment.

Initiatives for consumer products should be seen in the context of initiatives towards chemicals in general, see section 2.1. In the EU, Denmark will work to see all applications of chemicals in consumer products covered by the chemicals regulation.

The health of children must be afforded greater priority than it is today. Within the EU, Denmark will work to develop an entirely new Directive on toys to strengthen regulation of thecontent of dangerous substances in toys. Furthermore, Denmark will work to see chemicals in toys covered by the new EU common chemicals regulations.
Within the EU, Denmark will also work to ensure that in the longer term positive lists are prepared, for example for hair dyes. Denmark will also work to include cosmetic products in the new EU common chemicals regulations.

During the Danish Presidency of the EU, an agreement was made introducing great improvements in the regulation of chemical substances on a number of crucial points. Firstly, every single allergenic odorant in cosmetics, including perfumes, is subject to a duty to declare, so that consumers are able to choose against buying products containing allergenic perfumes. Secondly, there has been agreement on, in principle, banning CMR substances in cosmetics. A third important element in the agreement is the introduction of a ban on experiments on animals when testing cosmetics, although the ban will first enter into force in 2009 so that alternative test methods can be developed.

The Ministry of the Environment is working in both the European and the Danish Eco-labelling Boards to exclude or reduce substances harmful to health in products permitted to carry the EU "Flower" and the Nordic ”Swan” eco labels. Through criteria on issuing these labels, a large number of substances dangerous for the environment have already been excluded, and the Ministry of the Environment is working to have a large number of substances harmful to health excluded.

In Denmark, the Ministry of the Environment will continue the debate on unnecessary chemicals and what the individual consumer can do to minimise the negative impacts from chemicals.

We must find out whether there are greater health risks from using consumer products. Therefore, the Danish Finance Act 2002-2004 allocates resources to raise the level of initiatives in this area. The Ministry of the Environment is initiating investigations to increase knowledge about which problem substances are contained in consumer products, how and where many of these substances are released, and whether using these substances increases health risks.

A National Allergy Research Center for Consumer Products has been established by the Ministry of the Environment. The Ministry of the Interior and Health is taking part in the steering group. The Center will deal with allergies caused by chemical substances in consumer products. The Center is part of the health service and it will establish a solid and scientifically founded basis for initiatives to prevent allergies cause by chemical substances in consumer products.

In the years to come, research and development will make up part of the basis for the preventive initiatives relating to consumer products. Important areas will be:

• which problematic chemicals are present in consumer products,
• how and how much of these substances are released, and
• whether this leads to greater health risks.

4.8 Noise

Noise affects many people. We meet noise in many contexts. At home, at work, when travelling, and in leisure time. The goal is to remove or quieten a number of sources of harmful and nuisance noise. Where this is not possible, the goal is to protect people against harmful noise.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The overall objective is to remove or quieten sources of noise that emit noise above the limit values. Where this is not immediately possible, the goal is to implement initiatives that reduce the risk of people being exposed to harmful or nuisance noise.

In the future, the Ministry of Employment will target initiatives, especially against noise at workplaces and in production processes where noise more than the indicative limit value is still a problem. At the same time, the Ministry of Employment will increase initiatives to alleviate the growing problem of nuisance noise at less than the limit value. Initiatives against noise at the workplace are described in section 4.2.2.

Further to adopting the EU Directive on Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise, noise from larger roads, railways, airports, and large towns in Denmark will be mapped. The mapping will help target and set priorities for preventive measures in the area. As part of the new Directive, action plans will be prepared for the most exposed areas.

The Strategy on Road Noise will include elucidation of possibilities to reduce the number of dwellings severely affected by road noise. A severely affected dwelling is exposed to noise of more than 65 dB. Another important part of the Road Noise Strategy will be to implement a macro-economic assessment of the health consequences of road noise, and the measures that can be applied to reduce the number of severely affected dwellings.

Further to the EU Directive on Noise Emission from Outdoor Equipment (directive 2000/14/EC), the European Commission will investigate whether common European limits for noise emitted from railway equipment can be established.

The National Agency for Enterprise and Housing will reassess the noise-related requirements for new buildings with a view to reducing noise from neighbours in multi-floor dwellings and improving the acoustic conditions in childcare institutions and schools.

Research and development into the consequences of exposure to nuisance noise is inadequate. For example, there is a lack of knowledge on: 

• Stress-related, communications-related, and sleep-related consequences. There is a need to build knowledge to a level where it is possible to quantify the health effects, and the economic effects.
• The mechanisms behind the effects noise has on, for example blood pressure, and the types of noise that cause a reaction. This will provide a better understanding of the significance of noise impacts, for example in the working environment.

4.9 Radiation

Radiation increases the risk of damage to genes in cells. Most of the radiation to which we are exposed from day to day is from naturally occurring sources. Radioactive radon in housing is a problem where preventive measures could reduce the health risk.

Objectives and initiatives in the near future

The overall objective is to reduce the harmful effects of radiation on people through influencing people‘s lifestyle. In particular this includes airing dwellings and sunbathing. The objective is also to retain the generally high level of protection from the use of ionised radiation, and radiation from products.

The National Agency for Enterprise and Housing and the National Board of Health will continue to focus on preventive measures against the radon problem in both new and existing housing.

The National Board of Health and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency will continue to issue guidelines on the best protection against UV radiation.

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