Dear Commissioners,

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, are the leading causes of death worldwide and in Europe.

Environmental risks, like air and noise pollution, can make existing heart conditions worse and can cause heart attacks.

I too join the Environment & the Heart Campaign and call upon EU policymakers to promote a healthy environment for a healthy heart by implementing the recommendations of the Environment & the Heart Call for Action.

Together, we can decrease the adverse health impact of environmental threats and, ultimately, reduce the burden of CVD in Europe.

Help protect our hearts. We only get one!

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Environment and the Heart Call for Action

Whereas:

(1) Environmental factors are estimated to be responsible for up to 20% of the disease burden in Europe. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) make up the largest portion of this burden.

(2) Air and noise pollution are environmental health risks with a wide-ranging impact on CVD[ii], the primary cause of death in Europe, killing over 4 million people yearly.

(3) Up to 90% of the European population is exposed to high levels of air and noise pollution exceeding WHO recommended standards.

(4) CVD account for 80% of all premature deaths due to air pollution.

(5) Noise pollution increases the risk of CVD, including hypertension and heart disease. In Europe, it is estimated to contribute to at least 10 000 premature deaths due to heart disease and stroke each year.

(6) Sustainable transport options reduce the negative effects of traditional transport patterns on human health, such as those caused by air and noise pollution and physical inactivity.

(7) Air and noise pollution affect less affluent countries in Central and Eastern Europe and disadvantaged social groups across Europe more markedly, thereby amplifying inequalities in CVD.

(8) Policy action is crucial to reduce the adverse health impact of environmental threats and, ultimately, to reduce the burden of CVD in Europe.

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR), the European Heart Network (EHN) and all signatories to the Environment & the Heart Campaign call upon EU policymakers to promote a healthy environment for a healthy heart by:

› Adding air and noise pollution in the modifiable risk factors for CVD within the framework of a comprehensive EU strategy on the prevention and control of CVD;

› Including clean air and noise reduction into all policy areas;

› Adopting EU-wide limit values for air quality in line with WHO recommendations as well as setting ambitious binding emission reduction commitments in the National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive for 2025;

› Fostering green urban planning in order to reduce pollution and promote physical activity;

› Promoting clean modes of power generation, including low-emissions vehicles and fuels, and renewable combustion-free power sources;

› Securing EU funding for research on the effects of environmental stressors on the cardiovascular system;

› Following-up on the 1987 Year for Environment, 1994 Year for Health and Nutrition and 2013 Year of Air by setting 2018 as the Year for Chronic Diseases, encompassing health inequalities, social, economic and environmental factors.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE http://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Initiatives/environment-the-heart