Chemicals and Climate Change Nexus – Health Professionals' Role in Interventions and Risk Prevention
1
Division of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
2
Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
3
groundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa, Durban, South Africa
4
Radiation, Chemical, Climate and Environment Hazards Directorate, UK Health Security Agency, Didcot, United Kingdom
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A415
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Climate change impacts chemical exposures in various ways (e.g., altering the compounds due to intensive heat, remobilising chemicals into the environment through flooding events); conversely, the production and use of chemicals affect climate change through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The impacts on human health from these interlinkages cross two sectors - the climate change/energy sector and the chemicals sector. There are few discussions or work by either sector addressing overlapping impacts. The question then arises: which sector is responsible for addressing, reducing, and preventing these impacts? Health professionals are actively involved in both sectors and therefore play a key role in reducing the health impacts arising from their interconnectedness.
METHODS:
This informative training session will include a 30-minute panel discussion highlighting the overlapping issues and their impact on each sector. The last 30 minutes will be an interactive mapping exercise on the health professional's role in interventions and risk-prevention action.
RESULTS:
Participants will receive detailed information from experts on the impact of the interconnected nexus, along with a policy brief. They will also be invited to co-author a post-conference paper on the results of the mapping exercise, focusing on actions that health professionals globally can implement.
CONCLUSIONS:
By recognising the interlinkages between climate change and the chemical sectors, health professionals can become key actors and stakeholders in co-benefit actioning across both sectors through interventions that reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change impacts chemical exposures in various ways (e.g., altering the compounds due to intensive heat, remobilising chemicals into the environment through flooding events); conversely, the production and use of chemicals affect climate change through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The impacts on human health from these interlinkages cross two sectors - the climate change/energy sector and the chemicals sector. There are few discussions or work by either sector addressing overlapping impacts. The question then arises: which sector is responsible for addressing, reducing, and preventing these impacts? Health professionals are actively involved in both sectors and therefore play a key role in reducing the health impacts arising from their interconnectedness.
METHODS:
This informative training session will include a 30-minute panel discussion highlighting the overlapping issues and their impact on each sector. The last 30 minutes will be an interactive mapping exercise on the health professional's role in interventions and risk-prevention action.
RESULTS:
Participants will receive detailed information from experts on the impact of the interconnected nexus, along with a policy brief. They will also be invited to co-author a post-conference paper on the results of the mapping exercise, focusing on actions that health professionals globally can implement.
CONCLUSIONS:
By recognising the interlinkages between climate change and the chemical sectors, health professionals can become key actors and stakeholders in co-benefit actioning across both sectors through interventions that reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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