Managing environmental health risks in emergencies

Emergencies and disasters can occur anywhere in the world, affecting human health, people’s lives and the infrastructure built to support them. Health risks in emergencies can arise from a disaster’s effect on the physical, biological and social environment, including contamination or destruction of water, sanitation and waste-management systems, and shelter. Emergencies may also increase the risk of chemical and radiation exposures due to the destruction.

WHO draws upon a network of agencies and experts to support our efforts in assisting countries to prepare for and respond to the environmental health aspects in emergencies. WHO works with Member States to prevent environmental health risks through:

• prevention measures, such as community awareness, early warning systems, and working to construct disaster-prone health facilities,  and resilient water and sanitation systems;
• preparedness, including strengthening policies for disaster management and developing disaster response plans;
• emergency response, including containing hazardous materials and accessing infrastructure damage; and
• recovery measures, such as reconstructing resilient water and sanitation infrastructure.

As part of the International Health Regulations, WHO rapidly identifies, verifies and alerts for incidents of (potential) international public health concern, including those involving environmental health hazards.