"Clean Air, Healthy People," the most current theme in global environmental health, is the focus of this year`s World Environmental Health Day on September 26. Clean air not only directly impacts the respiratory tract, but also plays a vital role in a wide range of health issues, from cardiovascular disease and premature birth to asthma and chronic lung diseases.
Global Situation and Facts about Turkey
According to data from the World Health Organization, air pollution, among environmental risks, causes millions of premature deaths annually; indoor and outdoor air pollutants particularly impact low-income areas.
In Turkey, air pollution stands out as the environmental problem that causes the most deaths on human health, with levels of PM₂₅ and other particulate matter exceeding WHO limits reaching critical levels in major cities.
The impacts of climate change (heat waves, droughts, and extreme weather events) are becoming increasingly evident in terms of both the environment and public health, creating risks such as water scarcity and agricultural yield losses in Turkey.
Air Quality and Pollutant Reduction: Transportation, energy production (especially fossil fuel use), industrial emissions; and efforts to improve both outdoor and indoor air quality.
Protecting Vulnerable Populations: It is known that groups such as children, the elderly, and those with chronic diseases are more affected by air pollution and climate impacts. Specific measures and health policies should be developed for these groups.
Transparency in Legislation and Implementation: Tightening air pollution standards, enforcing existing laws, and strengthening measurement and monitoring infrastructures.
Awareness, Education, and Community Participation: Raising public, local government, and private sector awareness in this area; encouraging individual behavioral changes (e.g., coal use, indoor ventilation, transportation preferences).
Health Risks Associated with Climate Change: Managing the health impacts of events such as extreme heat, drought, and floods; considering adaptation strategies and disaster risk management plans from an environmental health perspective.
A Message from Us as a University
As the Environmental Health and Environmental Risk Management Technician Program, we believe that the right to clean air is a fundamental human right. In this context, on World Environmental Health Day (September 26th), we are highlighting the following goals with our students, academic staff, and the local community:
Support multidisciplinary efforts to identify and reduce the sources of air pollutants,
Increase data collection on urban air quality, indoor air pollution, and health effects in our research units,
Contribute to the development of clean air policies in collaboration with local decision-makers and the public,
Strengthen environmental health awareness in society by organizing awareness-raising events.
Call for Solutions
Clean air is everyone`s right. Collaborative efforts are needed not only at the individual level, but also at the institutional, local, and national levels. Governments, municipalities, the industrial sector, universities, and every individual have a responsibility in this regard. On this World Environmental Health Day, let`s address the question of what we can do today to "create clean air."