Environment-related Health Risks in France

Résumé 0

The contamination of industrial sites or mineral waters in France, increases in heatwave-related mortality among senior citizens, and ever-earlier seasonal alerts over allergy risks—there is no shortage of examples of how environmental factors are increasingly impacting our health. But the proliferation of messages makes it complicated, at times, to identify priorities. Should we really worry about air pollution when the data shows a falling trend in pollutant concentration over the last 30 years? Is it really possible to stop consuming water contaminated by microplastics?Though it seems particularly urgent to develop preventive actions or health responses, environment-related health risks as a whole are generally quite poorly understood. This article by Quentin Bisalli, based largely on studies carried out as part of Futuribles International’s ‘Santé [Health] 2040’ Foresight Observatory, aims to take stock and identify precisely how these risks might develop in the years to 2040.Quentin Bisalli begins by going over the main types of risk and their recent and potential evolution: direct risks, complex pollutants, risks associated with extreme climate variations, new pathologies resulting from environmental damage etc. He then reminds us of the disparity between these risks, as well as inequalities in exposure to them and in individual adaptation. And he highlights the fact that a number of the risks are intertwined and the associated crises may overlap, further complicating the responses required. This foresight approach to environment-related health risks shows how complex the interactions are—and the many uncertainties around them. We now live in a world in which health risks are omnipresent and surprises might become the norm. Creating awareness and transparency around these subjects is already an important step in sensitizing populations to the risks and achieving enhanced prevention. This detailed review of the situation should itself make a further contribution.