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Environment and Health are Closely Related

1. Funding and delimitation of the Strategy

1.1 Funding

This is the first time that Denmark has prepared a strategy for environmental factors and health. The Strategy sets the framework for initiatives in the forthcoming years. The Strategy will ensure that the combined initiatives for the area are targeted, and focus on a cross-disciplinary perspective. A number of the initiatives in the Strategy will be funded through individual ministries‘ normal appropriation in the Danish Finance Act. In 2002 and up to 2004, additional special funds have been allocated in the Danish Finance Act. These funds will also finance new common initiatives. For example, a reserve of DKK 1.5 million has been allocated to the proposed coordinating working group. In addition, funds have been set aside to ensure independent, consumer-oriented information initiatives.

For areas covered by the Ministry of the Environment, DKK 55 million have been allocated in the Danish Finance Act for the period 2002-2004 for the chemicals area, and for the environment and health. DKK 57.2 million have been appropriated to the areas covered by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries for 2002-2004, specially aimed at retaining a high level of food safety. These funds will be used to fund activities under the Strategy, and they will also fund activities outside the Strategy.

Correspondingly, the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs has received resources from the Danish Finance Act for initiatives aiming at the indoor climate and drinking-water installations. The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health have about DKK 20 million to pay for new initiatives, including following up four action plans that appear in the government‘s programme; cardiovascular diseases, hypersensitivity diseases, type-2 diabetes, and osteoporosis (brittle bones).

For areas covered by the National Working Environment Authority, chemicals, noise, and indoor climate comprise priority visions in the "Action Plan for a Clean Working Environment - 2005". Through this Action Plan, there is focus on these areas in normal inspections carried out by the National Working Environment Authority in the relevant sectors. Furthermore, in connection with a supplementary action plan, DKK 45 million have been allocated for extra initiatives for ten new especially exposed groups of jobs for 2001-2004, and noise and indoor climate are particularly relevant for six of these groups.

The objectives and initiatives in the strategy will be followed up by concrete initiatives and action plans within the areas concerned. A decision about new expenditures in connection with the new initiatives requires the preparation of a concrete decision-making basis to assess the benefits and costs. 

1.2 Limitations in relation to other strategies, action plans, etc.

The government has set objectives and initiatives for lifestyle factors in the programme "Life-long health, 2002-2010". Therefore, this Strategy does not address lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol, diet, and exercise, which are more significant factors for the health of the population as a whole.

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries has a number of strategies and action plans to limit the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria in food. Problems regarding production processes and the health of livestock in agriculture are not covered by this Strategy. The application of gene technology in food production is only included to a limited extent in the Strategy, as it is addressed in a number of other inter-ministerial fora.

The Strategy addresses working-environment factors that are also included in the action programme "Clean Working Environment 2005". On the other hand, the initiatives in the Action Programme to prevent other significant impacts on the health and safety of employees are not covered by the concept of environmental factors, and are thus not part of this Strategy. For example, this applies for industrial accidents, impacts on the musculoskeletal system, and psychosocial impacts, as well as children and young people at work.

The Strategy addresses chemicals in respect of their harmful effects. This is also part of the overall Chemicals Strategy. In addition to this, the Chemicals Strategy sets the framework for the overall chemicals initiatives towards xenobiotic substances and their effects on plants, animals, and aquatic organisms, as well as substances that affect the atmosphere. A number of other strategies for the environment are also contributing to limiting unacceptable impacts on human health. 

1.3 Reading guide

Part II describes the series of initiatives the government will initiate in the coming years to reduce the negative impacts on public health.

Section 2 describes the initiatives towards the various environmental factors. These are chemicals, biological factors, and physical environmental factors.

Section 3 describes initiatives towards the health effects that can be caused by environmental factors.

Section 4 describes the initiatives towards the different sources of environmental factors.

Section 5 describes initiatives within cross-disciplinary areas such as retention of a high level of protection, monitoring, and knowledge building.

Section 6 describes initiatives to enhance cooperation between the authorities in different areas.

Section 7 describes international initiatives.

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