Publications

Environmental factors are a significant determinant of health and illness in poor countries. In general, environmental health risks fall into two broad categories:

i) traditional hazards related to poverty and lack of development, such as lack of safe water, inadequate sanitation and waste disposal, indoor air pollution, and vector-borne diseases; and,
ii) modern hazards such as urban air pollution and exposure to agro-industrial chemicals and waste that are caused by development that lack environmental safeguards.

Our work in this area covers both these areas and focuses on understanding the factors that determine health outcomes and assessing how and to what extent the poor are affected differently than the rich.

To search through a full listing on the Bank's publications of environment topics, click here.

New Publications

Environmental Health and Child Survival  This report provides information to decision-makers on the optimal design of policies to help reduce premature deaths and illness in children under five.

The Health Impacts of Extreme Weather Events inSub-Saharan Africa  This paper quantifies the impact of extreme weather events on the incidence of diarrhea, malnutrition and mortality in young children.

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Additional Books of Interest

Â	Environmental Health Issues in Poverty Reduction Strategies: A Review This report, together with two published papers on issues linked with country environmental analysis, has been prepared to provide guidance on institutional analysis to ongoing CEA concept development efforts..

Environmental Factors and Childrens Malnutrition in Ethiopia   A considerable effort to monitor child malnutrition rates over the last two decades shows that, despite some improvements, approximately half of the children under five are still malnourished.

Child Mortality in Rural India  The authors focus on infant and child mortality in rural areas of India. Results indicate that child mortality can be reduced substantially, particularly by improving the education of women and reducing indoor air pollution caused by cooking fuels..

Environmental Determinants of Child Mortality in Rural China We use a competing risk model to analyze environmental determinants of child mortality using the 1992 China National Health Survey, which collects information on cause of death.