The impact of hazardous chemicals on public health: what known and what can be done to reduce it?

Chemicals, whether of natural origin or produced by human activities, are part of our environment.

Naturally occurring chemicals include, for instance, arsenic and fluoride in drinking water, suspended particulate matter and sulfur dioxide from volcanic emission or forest fires, or naturally occurring toxins;

Manufactured chemicals include industrial and agricultural products such as pesticides, petroleum products, processed metals, and products of combustion such as toxic gases and particles from industrial emissions and burning of fuel. Some chemicals are manufactured for specific uses in the products of common life, while others are unwanted by-products, wastes, or products of combustion. 

Humans can be exposed to harmful chemicals through a number of ways, from the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and our work environments. For each pathway, there are regulatory tools to mitigate that exposure, and workers can be kept safe through the application of proper safety regulations. In many developing countries, these regulations are still missing, as are the means to enforce them. That is why reduction of exposure to harmful chemicals is one the elements included in three of the Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3 "Good health and well-being", SDG 12 ("Responsible production and consumption"), and SDG 6 "clean water and sanitation".

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