Health impact assessment in environmental impact assessment in China: Status, practice and problems
- School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, # 235, University W. Road, Saihan District, Huhhot, Inner Mongolia 010021 (China)
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, #38, Tongyan Road, Haihe Education Park, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350 (China)
In China, the environmental impact assessment (EIA) system has gradually developed into an integrated evaluation system, owing to continuous improvement on institutional framework, system infrastructure, technical methods and professionals training, since EIA was first introduced in 1979. Though health impact assessment (HIA) is a part of the EIA system, the development of HIA is so slow as to remain at the early developing stage. This research aims to understand the extent and main issues concerning “health considerations” under the context of EIA, in China. Through case study on 42 environmental impact statements, the results demonstrate that HIA was not implemented in most of the cases, and health issues were not even mentioned in more than half of these cases. Where HIA was implemented, various problems were revealed through this study, including lacks of systematic approaching tools, insufficient supporting data on health effects, ineffective public participation, limited health considerations on biophysics, and so forth. Nevertheless, these problems can be attributed to lacks of legal supports, systematic evaluation methods, knowledge on evaluation technologies, and professional training institutions for HIA in China. In order to improve HIA methodologies, technologies, and management, to perfect HIA evaluation system, and to enhance public participation system within HIA, some recommendations from institutional, technical, administrative, and managerial aspects were then proposed in this study. - Highlights: •The status and deficiencies of HIA in EIA in China were identified and evaluated. •There were great industrial differences for the implementation of HIA in EIA. •Public participation was not well executed within HIA in EIA.
- OSTI ID:
- 22701677
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Journal Name: Environmental Impact Assessment Review Vol. 66; ISSN 0195-9255; ISSN EIARDK
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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