Scientific assessment tools
Even in a world of rapid information access, synthesizing vital scientific knowledge and evidence about environmental health problems, and potential solutions, into readily understandable concepts and statistics remains a formidable challenge.
However, a range of scientific tools exist to facilitate such synthesis. Those include tools for quantifying population health impacts (e.g. burden of disease assessment), which measure the health impacts of environmental hazards in very simple terms such as mortality. Another useful burden of disease measure, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), combines the burden due to death and disability in a single index.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) may, among other things, describe ecological features; patterns of ecological degradation/rehabilitation; identify areas of high risk; and provide information useful in monitoring trends. Environment and health indicators provide basic data to identify priority issues, and to track progress to the goal; Environment and health standards, guidelines and certain multilateral agreements/conventions set baselines or thresholds for permissible pollution or pollution exposure levels, and define goals to be achieved. Links to these resources are provided below.