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1947 World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
1969 U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) calls on the federal government to “…create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans.” NEPA defines categories of environmental effects to include “…ecological, aesthetic, historic, cultural, economic, social, or health, whether direct, indirect, or cumulative.”
1977 Canadian Berger Commission Inquiry studies the social impacts of gas pipelines in Canada’s Mackenzie Valley. 1982 WHO recommends that environmental and health impact studies be carried out prior to the implementation of all major economic development projects. 1986 WHO Ottawa Charter on Health Promotion defines the fundamental resources for health as “… peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable eco-system, sustainable resources, social justice, and equity.
1987 World Commission on Environment and Development releases Our Common Future, defining sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
1988 U.S. Institute of Medicine defines public health as “what we, as a society, do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy.” 1989 U.S. Council on Environmental Quality develops methods for analyzing health and environmental risks in environmental assessment.
1992 United Nations Rio Declaration provides a statement of 27 principles to underpin sustainable development that recognize the interdependence of environmental, social, and economic policies. 1992 Canadian Environmental Assessment Act defines “environmental effect” as any change that a project may cause on the environment, including any effect of any such change on health and socio-economic conditions.
1994 U.S. Executive Order 12898 requires federal agencies to make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations in the United States.
1996 International Study of the Effectiveness of Environmental Assessment identifies health as an important area for process development. 1997 World Bank provides guidance on systematically integrating public health and safety concerns into environmental assessment.
1997 U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) directs federal agencies to consider “…ecological, cultural, human health, economic, or social impacts on minority communities, low-income communities, or Indian tribes when those impacts are interrelated to impacts on the natural or physical environment.”
1997 U.K. Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health recommends that all policies likely to have a direct or indirect effect on health should be evaluated in terms of their impact on health inequalities. 1999 WHO defines the HIA as “combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, programme or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population.” Four values are particularly important for HIA: democracy, sustainable development, equity and the ethical use of evidence.
1999 California law defines environmental justice as the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. 2001 U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Blueprint for Increasing Physical Activity calls for health impact assessments of community design.
2001 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and CDC release National Strategies for Advancing Child Pedestrian Safety to create safer environments for walking.
2001 California law requires the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to adopt guidelines for addressing sustainability and environmental justice issues in general plans.
2002 U.S. Institute of Medicine calls on governmental public health agencies to address the determinants of health through new partnerships with other disciplines and institutions. 2003 Special issue of the American Journal of Public Health features research on the effect of land use and community design on public health.
The Health Impact Assessment Experience in San Francisco
1994 The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) convenes an environmental health task force to address environmentally incompatible land uses in Bayview/Hunter’s Point. 1996 The San Francisco Sustainability Plan adopts environmental justice goals and objectives. 1999 SFDPH analyzed the health benefits of a living wage ordinance.
2000 SFDPH Strategic Plan Strategy 2.3(a) calls on the department to advocate for non-health public policies that improve health status such as wages, employment, childcare, housing, social safety net, transportation and education policies. 2001 SFDPH conducts first community HIA workshops on urban policy issues. 2001 SFDPH conducts analysis of social and economic barriers to improvement of indoor air quality.
2003 SFDPH provides health analysis of infill housing development proposals. 2004 San Francisco’s Precautionary Principle Law requires all departments to conduct a thorough exploration and a careful analysis of a wide range of alternatives and the selection of the alternative that presents the least potential threat to human health and the City's natural systems.
2004 SFDPH Prevention Plan aims action to address low social-economic status, social isolation, institutional racism, and transportation. 2004 SFDPH convenes Eastern Neighborhoods Community Health Impact Assessment.
Countries with HIA strategies
Australia
Canada
Germany
Ireland
New Zealand
Sweden
Thailand
United Kingdom
U.S. Locales Developing HIA
Denver, CO
Ingham County, MI
Los Angeles, CA
Minnesota
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
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