Growing inequalities in child injury deaths in Europe.

In this short report, we describe and compare mortality data for injuries in children aged <15 years in the WHO European region as estimated by the WHO Global Health Estimates for 2000 and 2011. Child injury deaths have decreased overall. Mortality rate ratios between low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and high-income countries in the region show an increase in relative inequalities for childhood deaths from unintentional injuries and a narrowing from intentional injury.

Progress in preventing injuries: a content analysis of national policies in Europe.

The aim of this paper is to provide a content analysis of national policies to address violence and injury prevention in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region so as to inform where future improvements can be made. Multiple search methods were used to identify national policies for violence and injury prevention. Application of a framework based on a WHO guide was used for policy analysis.

Ecological studies of cancer incidence in an area interested by dumping waste sites in Campania (Italy).

Cancer incidence was investigated in an area which has been affected by the illegal practices of dumping hazardous waste and setting fire to mismanaged waste. For the 35 municipalities of this area that are served by a Cancer Registry, municipal standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and hierarchical Bayesian estimators (BIR) were computed. Moreover, municipal spatial clustering and a Poisson regression by municipality index of waste-related exposure were performed for 10 cancer types.

Health impact assessment of waste management facilities in three European countries.

Background: Policies on waste disposal in Europe are heterogeneous and rapidly changing, with potential health implications that are largely unknown. We conducted a health impact assessment of landfilling and incineration in three European countries: Italy, Slovakia and England.

Methods: A total of 49 (Italy), 2 (Slovakia), and 11 (England) incinerators were operating in 2001 while for landfills the figures were 619, 121 and 232, respectively.

Inequalities, inequities, environmental justice in waste management and health.

Background: The scientific evidence on the health effects of waste-related exposure is not conclusive. Differential exposure to waste by socio-economic status (SES) is often documented, but the interplay between environmental and social factors, crucial for policy making, is not well known. This review aims at investigating the role of health inequalities and inequities in waste management.

[Geographic epidemiologic descriptive study on the national priority site for remediation "Laguna di Grado e Marano"].

Objective: to describe the mortality profile of the population resident in the polluted area of national concern (SIN) "Laguna di Grado e Marano" Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region, in the period 1997-2001 and to examine mortality temporal trends between 1981 and 2001.

Design: a small-area epidemiological study based on descriptive statistics, socioeconomic deprivation variables, analysis of spatial heterogeneity disease mapping and time trend analysis was carried out.

Main Outcome Measures: age-standardised rate, standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), SMRs adjusted by socioeconomic deprivation, spatial heterogeneity test results, empirical and hierarchical Bayesian estimators, and temporal trends of selected causes are shown.

Cluster analysis of mortality and malformations in the Provinces of Naples and Caserta (Campania Region).

The possible adverse health effects associated with the residence in the neighbourhood of toxic dump sites have been the object of many epidemiological studies in the last two decades;some of these reported increases of various health outcomes. The present study reports the cluster analysis of mortality and malformations at municipality level, standardized by socioeconomic deprivation index, in an area of the Campania Region characterized by a widespread illegal practice of dumping toxic and urban waste. Clusters have been observed with significant excess of mortality by lung, liver, gastric, kidney and bladder cancers and of prevalence of total malformations and malformations of limb, cardiovascular and urogenital system.

[Health impact of ozone in 13 Italian cities].

Objective: to estimate the health impact of ozone in 13 Italian cities over 200,000 inhabitants and to produce basic elements to permit the reproducibility of the study in other urban locations.

Design: the following data have been used: population data (2001), health data (2001 or from scientific literature), environmental data (2002-2004), from urban background monitoring station and concentration/response risk coefficients derived from recent metanalyses. The indicators SOMO35 and SOMO0 have been used as a proxi of the average exposure to calcolate attributable deaths (and years of life lost) and several causes of morbility for ozone concentrations over 70 microg/m3.

Cancer mortality in an area of Campania (Italy) characterized by multiple toxic dumping sites.

Several recent studies have documented that a widespread practice of dumping toxic wastes has taken place for many years in the Provinces of Naples and Caserta. Extensive programs of environmental monitoring are currently ongoing in the area. In this frame, the Department of Civil Defence of the Italian Government has appointed an ad hoc study group in order to assess the health status of the population resident in the area of interest.

Industrial activities in sites at high environmental risk and their impact on the health of the population.

A second mortality analysis of 15 areas of Italy identified in 1986 by the Italian Ministry of Environment as areas at high risk of environmental crisis has confirmed and extended the findings of the first. In regional comparisons, these areas, in which potentially hazardous industries are located, show excesses of deaths from almost all cancers and other diseases, particularly among men. Although more information is needed to identify corrective public health measures, the official recognition of areas in need of cleaning up, which appears to be unique to Italy and which fostered the study, is a promising beginning.

[Environment and health status of the population in areas with high risk of environmental crisis in Italy].

The Italian Ministry of Environment identified 15 areas throughout the country as at "high risk of environmental crisis". The areas host industrial activities that may entail noxious exposures, through occupation and the environment. An epidemiological descriptive study on the residents was carried out using routinely collected mortality data.