Health and Environment

Without more stringent policies to better address environmental concerns, the adverse health effects of air and water pollution are likely to increase in the future. The economic burden of environmental health is significant in both OECD and non- OECD countries, and recent analysis suggests that health damage associated with air and water pollution represents a significant share of GDP. This chapter explores the health impacts of outdoor air-pollution, unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as the costs and benefits of policy enhancements in these areas. Improving environmental conditions upstream in order to prevent downstream environmentrelated health outcomes, is often cost-efficient.