Nadine Steckling

Testing Local Conditions for the Introduction of a Mercury-free Gold Extraction Method using Borax in Zimbabwe

Background. Mercury is extensively used in artisanal small-scale gold mining in many parts of the world, including Zimbabwe. Mercury-free mining technologies are urgently needed to protect the biop...

Das Konzept der umweltbedingten Krankheitslast

GOAL OF THE STUDYnEnvironmental risk factors are of great importance for public health with a considerable but often unused potential for prevention. However, knowledge about the complex associations between the environment and health effects is limited for some risk factors. A concept, which is using the existing evidence on associations between the impact of environmental factors and health effects, is the environmental burden of disease (EBD) concept. The aim of this article is to present the quantification method of the EBD concept and to discuss the advantages and its points of criticism.nnnMETHODSnThe EBD concept combines morbidity and mortality data in a single measure (Disability-Adjusted Life Year, DALY) to enable a comparative description of the burden of disease. Life years are used as measurement unit. The environmental share of the total DALYs is quantified by using the attributable fraction.nnnRESULTSnDespite its increasing application especially in the international context, the method is still criticized, because by summarizing the complex construct of health in one single measurement unit, much important information about quality of life is lost. A further criticism refers to partly arbitrarily set social value choices. Additionally, missing or insufficient data can limit the quality and validity of EBD estimations.nnnCONCLUSIONnA scientific discourse is needed to decide to what extent the EBD approach can and should be used in Germany.

Umweltbedingte Krankheitslasten in Deutschland

ZusammenfassungHintergrundUmweltbedingte Risikofaktoren können die menschliche Gesundheit maßgeblich beeinflussen. Mithilfe der „Environmental Burden of Disease“(EBD‑)Methode können umweltbedingte Gesundheitseinbußen quantitativ in Form verlorener gesunder Lebensjahre (Disability-Adjusted Life Years, DALYs) ermittelt werden.Ziel der ArbeitZiel dieses Beitrags ist es, die Krankheitslast von umweltbedingten Risikofaktoren darzustellen und zu bewerten. Der Fokus liegt auf bereits veröffentlichten Berechnungen für Deutschland.MaterialAnhand der aktuellen EBD-Studienlage präsentiert dieser Artikel die umweltbedingte Krankheitslast in Form des attributablen Anteils für die gesamte Welt und in Form von DALYs für Deutschland. Mittels der präsentierten Ergebnisse für Feinstaub, wasserassoziierte Risiken und Umgebungslärm wird die Bedeutung der Verfügbarkeit und Qualität der in Krankheitslastberechnungen eingehenden Daten aufgezeigt.ErgebnisseDer Anteil der Krankheitslast weltweit, der auf umweltbedingte Risikofaktoren zurückzuführen ist, variiert je nach betrachteter Studie zwischen 13 und 22u202f%. Für Deutschland gibt es für insgesamt zwölf Umweltrisikofaktoren EBD-Schätzer. Die meisten Schätzer gibt es für Feinstaub; auch hier sind große Unterschiede in der Krankheitlast je nach Studie festzustellen. Unabhängig davon ist Feinstaub nach jetzigem Stand der Forschung der umweltbedingte Risikofaktor mit der höchsten Krankheitslast in Deutschland.DiskussionUnterschiede in der Höhe der berechneten Krankheitslast für einzelne umweltbedingte Risikofaktoren sind auf unterschiedliche Annahmen (z.u202fB. Lebenserwartung, gesundheitliche Wirkungsschwelle) und die jeweilig verwendeten Eingangsdaten zurückzuführen.AbstractBackgroundEnvironmental risk factors can have axa0substantial impact on population health. With the environmental burden of disease (EBD) approach, the health losses attributable to environmental risk factors can be quantified using disability-adjusted life years (DALY).ObjectivesThe aim of this article is to present and discuss available EBD estimates with axa0focus on Germany.MaterialsUsing current EBD studies, the share of the burden of disease attributable to environmental risk factors globally and DALYs for Germany are presented. Ambient particulate matter (PM), water-related risks and environmental noise are used as examples to emphasize the importance of availability and quality of input data for burden of disease assessments.ResultsThe share of the global burden of disease attributable to environmental risk factors varies according to the available studies and lies between 13 and 22%. For Germany, EBD estimates are available for 12xa0environmental risk factors. Most estimates are available for particulate matter in ambient air, however, the estimated burden differs greatly. Nonetheless, according to current knowledge, particulate matter pollution is the environmental risk factor with the highest burden of disease in Germany.ConclusionsDifferences in the estimated burden of disease for the considered risk factors are due to varying underlying assumptions, e.u202fg. for life expectancy or counterfactual value and the input data used.BACKGROUNDnEnvironmental risk factors can have axa0substantial impact on population health. With the environmental burden of disease (EBD) approach, the health losses attributable to environmental risk factors can be quantified using disability-adjusted life years (DALY).nnnOBJECTIVESnThe aim of this article is to present and discuss available EBD estimates with axa0focus on Germany.nnnMATERIALSnUsing current EBD studies, the share of the burden of disease attributable to environmental risk factors globally and DALYs for Germany are presented. Ambient particulate matter (PM), water-related risks and environmental noise are used as examples to emphasize the importance of availability and quality of input data for burden of disease assessments.nnnRESULTSnThe share of the global burden of disease attributable to environmental risk factors varies according to the available studies and lies between 13 and 22%. For Germany, EBD estimates are available for 12xa0environmental risk factors. Most estimates are available for particulate matter in ambient air, however, the estimated burden differs greatly. Nonetheless, according to current knowledge, particulate matter pollution is the environmental risk factor with the highest burden of disease in Germany.nnnCONCLUSIONSnDifferences in the estimated burden of disease for the considered risk factors are due to varying underlying assumptions, e.u202fg. for life expectancy or counterfactual value and the input data used.