Agenda Item 20: The impact of chemicals, waste and pollution on human health
This statement was delivered by the World Heart Federation at the 156th session of the WHO Executive Board
Honourable Chair, Distinguished Delegates,
We thank the Director-General for the report and applaud Member States for their recognition of pollution as a risk factor for human health. We wish to draw attention in particular to paragraph 3: “Many health benefits from preventing these impacts for which evidence is well established are underappreciated. For example, around 1.5 million lives could have been saved, largely from cardiovascular disease, in 2021 by implementing simple measures to reduce exposure to lead.”
Cardiovascular disease remains the world’s leading killer, and air pollution, now ranked just behind hypertension among the deadliest risk factors, accounts for over one-third of CVD deaths. Without systemic action on air pollution, that figure is sure to rise. We call on Member States to reduce levels of air, water, and ground pollution through recommended policy interventions, and invite your active engagement at the forthcoming WHO Conference on Air Pollution and a strong, actionable Political Declaration at the HLM on NCDs.
