Search

China is undergoing a rapid transition from a rural to an urban society. This societal change is a consequence of a national drive toward economic prosperity. Rapid urbanization impacts on infrastructure, environmental health and human wellbeing. Unlike many cases of urban expansion, Chinese urbanization has led to containment, rather than to increase, in the spread of infectious diseases. Conversely, the incidence of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases has risen, with higher rates occurring in urban regions. This rural-urban gradient in disease incidence seems not to be a reflection simply of more aggressive diagnosis or healthcare access. Other diseases exhibit little rural versus urban differences (e.g., liver cancer or respiratory disease), or even occur at a higher rate in the rural population (e.g., esophageal cancer). This article examines the impact of this changing demographic on environmental health and human wellbeing in China. Lessons learned from epidemiological studies mostly carried out in Europe and the U.S. may not be directly transferable to China. We advocate that there is now a need to establish robust systems of accurate data collection, a Chinese biobank network to facilitate the profiling of human health effects, and relevant randomized controlled trials to identify effective interventions in the Chinese urbanized setting. Such studies could allow for the future implementation of disease-preventive strategies.

Examines the environmental health of Europe, as studied by the European Environment Agency. Environmental quality trends; Progress in meeting environmental targets; Effort of building a seamless monitoring and reporting system; Securing of the compliance of states by imposing penalties. INSETS: Dim prospects for climate change control efforts.;Uncertainties about GMOs.;Water quality problems continue..

Reports on actions taken and rulings issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as of May 1999. Civil rights investigation into the environmental and health concerns of African-American and Hispanic communities in New York City; Proposal of the relaxation of dumping rules for lead paint debris; Plan to focus more on `inert' ingredients in pesticides.

The article discusses the seven essential factors that contribute to the environmental crisis in the U.S. According to the author, Americans do not lack intellectual capabilities nor in a state of denial regarding the environmental issues faced by the country, but they were just unable to discover the factors that brought an impact on the situation. These factors include lack of knowledge of the importance of sustainability, incapability of identifying the real situation, dependence on emergency assistance, absence of concern over the implications of the declining population of endangered species, insufficient efforts to address the situation and failure to illustrate leadership initiative.