Ocena Odziaływania na Zdrowie jako niezbędny element prawa ochrony środowiska w krajowym porządku prawnym. Rozważania na gruncie prawa międzynarodowego

The purpose of this paper was to prove that the standards for environmental friendliness set out by international law require the states to carry out Health Impact Assessment (HIA) before implementation of public or private investments having a potential human health impact even if national legal systems do not require it. The analysis of both soft international law and treaty law, as well as the case-law of international courts and tribunals show that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the international law ius cogens. At the same time the human right to information and protection of life and health are regarded as fundamental human rights. According to the authors it means that carrying out proper Environmental Impact Assessment without Health Impact Assessment is not possible. It would be contrary to the human right to information and the obligation of the authorities to provide citizens with active transparency mentioned by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and with the principle of fair balance developed in the case-law of the similar European Court together with the objective on sustainable development adopted in Agenda 2030. According to the authors Health Impact Assessment is an immanent and integral part of environmental impact and the possible absence of provisions in the national law requiring investors to carry out HIA where EIA is necessary, does not justify the failure to assess.Celem niniejszej publikacji było wykazanie, że wyznaczone przez prawo międzynarodowe standardy ochrony środowiska wymagają od państw przeprowadzania oceny oddziaływania na zdrowie przed realizacją inwestycji publicznej lub prywatnej, która mogłaby potencjalnie oddziaływać na zdrowie nawet wówczas gdy nie wymagają tego krajowe porządki prawne. Analiza zarówno miękkiego prawa międzynarodowego, jaki i prawa traktatowego oraz orzecznictwa międzynarodowych sądów i trybunałów wskazuje, że ocena oddziaływania na środowisko jest międzynarodowym prawem ius cogens. Równocześnie prawo człowieka do informacji oraz ochrony życia i zdrowia uznawane są za fundamentalne prawa człowieka. Oznacza to w ocenie autorów, że przeprowadzenie prawidłowej oceny oddziaływania na środowisko z pominięciem kwestii odziaływania na zdrowie człowieka nie jest możliwe. Byłoby sprzeczne z prawem człowieka do informacji, oraz z obowiązkiem rządów zapewnienia obywatelom aktywnej przejrzystości, o której wspomina Międzyamerykański Trybunał Praw Człowieka, czy z zasadą fair balance wypracowaną w orzecznictwie adekwatnego Trybunału w Europie oraz z celami zrównoważonego rozwoju przyjętymi w Agendzie 2030. Zdaniem autorów ocena oddziaływania na zdrowie jest immanentną i integralną częścią oceny oddziaływania na środowisko, zaś ewentualny brak w prawie krajowym przepisów nakładających na inwestora obowiązku przeprowadzenie oceny oddziaływania na zdrowie, tam gdzie istnieje konieczność przeprowadzenia oceny oddziaływania na środowisko nie uzasadnia zaniechania przeprowadzenia tej oceny

Dental awareness and oral health of pregnant women in Poland

Objectives: The level of dental awareness of a pregnant woman affects the sanitary condition of her own teeth and the health of the child to be born. Poor oral health is considered to be a probable risk factor for the pre-term birth or low birth weight. The aim of this work was to assess the level of oral health knowledge that determines oral health condition of pregnant women in Poland. Material and Methods: Empirical data were obtained from the National Monitoring of Oral Health and Its Determinants, financed by the Ministry of Health. This socio-epidemiological study assessed oral health status and dental health awareness, which affects that status. Study subjects included 1380 pregnant women at the age ranging from 15 to 44, randomly-selected from urban and rural environments. Dental health status was recorded in the clinical examination sheets supplied by the World Health Organization, and the socio-medical data were recorded in the questionnaire interview sheets. Results: Almost 3/4 of the pregnant women evaluated their dental health as unsatisfactory or poor. Over 60% of the pregnant women rated their knowledge and practical skills concerning care of their own teeth and of the child to be born as limited, inadequate or none. Only 40% of the pregnant women provided right answers to the questions about dental issues. Conclusions: Low oral health awareness results in poor oral health status of the study subjects. A statistical pregnant woman has a total of 13 teeth showing the symptoms of tooth decay or caries. Over 70% of the pregnant women developed gingivitis or periodontitis. There is an urgent need in Poland to make the European principle of treating pregnant women as a dentally vulnerable group obligatory

The use of protective gloves by medical personnel

Introduction: To minimize the risk of cross-infection between the patient and the medical staff, it is necessary to use individual protective measures such as gloves. According to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), protective gloves should always be used upon contact with blood, mucosa, injured skin or other potentially infectious material. Materials and Methods: The aim of the study was to evaluate, through quasi-observation, the use of protective gloves by medical staff according to the guidelines issued by the CDC and WHO. The results were subject to statistical analysis (p < 0.05). Results: During 1544 hours of observations, 3498 situations were recorded in which wearing protective gloves is demanded from the medical staff. The overall percentage of the observance of using gloves was 50%. The use of gloves depended significantly on the type of ward, profession, performed activity, number of situations that require wearing gloves during the observation unit and the real workload. During the entire study, as many as 718 contacts with patients were observed in which the same gloves were used several times. Conclusion: Wearing disposable protective gloves by the medical staff is insufficient

Knowledge and Attitudes of Dentists with Respect to the Risks of Blood-Borne Pathogens—A Cross-Sectional Study in Poland

Background: To analyze dentists’ knowledge of blood-borne infections, their attitudes towards infected patients, and to determine the frequency of the contact with infectious material; Methods: We surveyed 192 dentists using an anonymous questionnaire. Results: Only a quarter of dentists responded correctly to all questions. 96% of the examined dentists confirmed that they were more cautious during treatment of patients with HBV, HCV and HIV. 25% of all respondents refuse to help infected patients due to concerns about their own health. The dentists occasionally removed protective clothing to make it “easier” to perform specific procedures. The dentists experienced contact with infectious material most frequently by splashes onto the conjunctiva or as a result of superficial injuries. The risk of injury by a medical tool increased with the years of employment. Re-capping needles was associated with an increased risk of injury; Conclusions: Despite the widespread tolerance of people infected with blood-borne viruses and the well-proven low infection risk to medical personnel, dentists continue to be prejudiced and concerned about their own health and may refuse to treat infected patients. It may be assumed that the proportion of refusing treatment is even greater. This attitude should imply the implementation of training in the field of pathogen transmission and the real risk of infection

Awareness of the Risk of Exposure to Infectious Material and the Behaviors of Polish Paramedics with Respect to the Hazards from Blood-Borne Pathogens—A Nationwide Study

(1) Background: To determine paramedics’ frequency of contact with blood and other body fluids, as well as the analysis of knowledge of paramedics about blood-borne infections, their attitudes to patients infected with blood-borne viruses, and the post-exposure procedures implemented by paramedics; (2) Methods: An anonymous questionnaire among 190 paramedics working in various health care facilities in Poland (adjusted response rate, 76.3%); (3) Results: 78% of paramedics had contact with potentially infectious material at least several times a week. Paramedics’ knowledge on transferring infection was insufficient. Paramedics with longer employment time and better professional experience suffered fewer injuries with used needles/medical tools (p = 0.079). Most frequently reported factors that prevented the use of personal protective equipment were emergency situations (19.5%), skin irritations and contact allergies (19%) and, in the case of protective gloves, reduced manual dexterity (16%). In total, 82% of paramedics were concerned about the risk of being infected with HIV, HBV or HCV as a result of performing their job. In total, 97% of paramedics behaved more carefully while caring for infected patients. In total, 90% of the paramedics never refrained from performing the specific procedures necessary to help the patient whom they knew to be infected; (4) Conclusions: Despite the paramedics’ insufficient theoretical knowledge about the risk of blood-borne infections, the emphasis in the training of future paramedics should be on classes perfecting practical skills, because growing experience significantly reduces the risk of injury

Biological Factors in the Workplace&mdash;Current Threats to Employees, the Effects of Infections, Prevention Options

Infectious diseases or communicable diseases are spread from person to person by various routs [...

Identification of factors associated with hand hygiene adherence as a support for creating curriculum for nurses training – a multivariate analysis

Aim. Handwashing is the easiest way to prevent infection but is often neglected. The purpose of the study was to identify the barriers limiting the respect for hygiene procedures by nurses. Material and Methods. The study involved direct quasi-participant observation and a questionnaire of 11 nurses in six wards of three hospitals in Poland. Results. In total,1,195 observations were conducted in which 3,355 activities requiring hygiene procedures were observed over 8 months. The nurses’ knowledge of proper hand hygiene and infection prevention principles were unsatisfactory, with an average value of correct answers in the knowledge test of 8.7 (Max = 15). The univariate analysis indicated the following barriers in hand hygiene: emergencies, allergies, or too few dispensers. In multivariate analysis, the application of hygiene procedures depended on the level of education (higher education – worse compliance with the rules) and subjective conviction that handwashing/glove use was important. Conclusion. Educational programmes on hand hygiene should focus on the World Health Organisation indications that glove use is not a substitute for handwashing.</jats:p

Metabolic Diseases&mdash;A Challenge for Public Health in the 21st Century

Metabolic diseases refer to a broad term that includes all diseases that result from disturbances in the body&rsquo;s biochemical metabolism [...

Biological Factors in the Workplace—Current Threats to Employees, the Effects of Infections, Prevention Options

Infectious diseases or communicable diseases are spread from person to person by various routs [...]</jats:p