Environmental health in emergencies

Emergencies, conflicts, and disasters happen frequently, including natural disasters, chemical or radiological incidents, complex emergencies, and deliberate events. A substantial fraction of the disease burden derived from these events is attributable to environmental risk factors.

WHO aims to strengthen capacity in countries, particularly developing countries and those in economic transition, to deal with environmental health issues in emergencies. In addition, WHO provides support to countries during emergencies when needed.

This site presents relevant information regarding the main environmental risks to health during emergencies, presented in the following categories:

This site also addresses the different phases of the disaster management cycle for environmental health emergencies:

In addition, information is available on:

Recent publications

Article from Environmental Health Perspectives

"Mass Lead Intoxication from Informal Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling in Dakar, Senegal"

Key publications

Environmental health in emergencies and disasters

Relevant WHO programmes

Health Action in Crises

More information

Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response

More information

International Health Regulations

More information