6.E. Practice session: Using European environmental data in public health: datasets and applications

Abstract The European Environment Agency collects, quality-assures and quality-checks data on environment, climate and sustainability. It does so through its network and other institutional partners across 38 European countries. Most of these validated environmental data are publicly available and many can be used by practitioners to assess environmental risks to the health of their communities, as well as for designing and evaluating policies’ effectiveness. The objective of this workshop is to provide public health practitioners and scientists with an overview of the EEA data streams of public health relevance, including on air pollution, noise, water pollution, industrial emissions and climate impacts, among others. It will also highlight existing examples of local and national assessments and communication products based on these data, as well as demonstrating how specifically data on air pollution can be used for a quick health impact evaluation. The format of the workshop will be a practice session of 60 minutes with four presentations, the last being a live example demonstration, and an ample session of questions and answers. Key messages • The EEA collects and publishes large, validated datasets of public health from across 38 member countries, including on air and water pollution, industrial emissions, noise and climate change. • These data can be directly used by practitioners to assess environmental risks to the health of their communities, and to design and evaluate policies, with publicly available models and tools.