ABSTRACT
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) performed so far in Flanders, Belgium, differ widely in their content and approach. To lessen the problems, the Flemish government has decided to develop a manual of guidelines for EIA.
A methodology has been proposed for each of nine knowledge areas or disciplines: Air, Climate, Noise and vibration, Radiation, Soil, Water, Fauna and flora, Landscape and monuments, and People (health and population density). This chapter summarises the methodology dealing with the health aspects of EIA.
As health is intrinsically related to the environment, Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) fundamentally rests on the description of environmental changes. Health risk assessment uses toxicological and epidemiological methods. Using these results, the expert predicts the health effects of environmental changes associated with a project or activity.
