April 25, 2014

mapping diseases and environmental exposure: launch of the Environment & Health Atlas

Where in England has the highest rate of lung cancer?  And breast cancer?  Can we see patterns in disease prevalence across England?  Researchers are launching an atlas that maps health outcomes and environmental agents at neighbourhood level across England and Wales.   The open access Environment and Health Atlas will allow researchers and policy makers to study patterns of diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, leukaemia and breast cancer, and the levels of environmental factors such as sunlight, air pollution and pesticides.

The Atlas maps relative risks at postcode level – anyone can enter their postcode and be given an indication of different health outcomes and environmental agents for that local area (although not their individual risk).  It has been produced by researchers at the UK Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU), part of the MRC-PHE Centre for Environment & Health, based at Imperial College London.

The authors came to the SMC to talk about the implications of their work, and what the Atlas tells us about how our health and environment vary from one region to another.

Speakers:

Dr Anna Hansell, lead author of the Atlas, and Assistant Director of SAHSU (the UK Small Area Health Statistics Unit), MRC-PHE Centre for Environment & Health, Imperial College London

Professor Paul Elliott, senior author of the Atlas, and Director of SAHSU, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment & Health, Imperial College London