Sources of environmental risk

CONTEXT

This section covers proximity to sources of the environmental risk as a decisive factor when choosing a site for a residential development.

Environmental risk is related to the damage that may be caused by environmental factors, which may be natural or manmade. Productive or economic activity and geographic location are questions that can leave a person or a group of people in an environmental risk situation.

Natural risks. They are due to natural processes like the wind, the rain, the sun, etc. They are essential resources, but once they exceed certain thresholds they become risks (hurricanes, floods, skin cancer, earthquakes…). Climate change, as a result of the increase in temperature of the environment basically due to the emission of greenhouse gases, is exacerbating these natural risks, causing, among other things, more extreme climates, heat waves, droughts, torrential rain, rising sea levels, more fires, atmospheric contamination, biodiversity alteration, the risk of flooding and geological risks (landslides and falling bodies).
Manmade risks. They are caused by human activity. These risks have less impact than natural ones, although their effects may last for many years and constitute a threat to the health of people and ecosystems due to the presence of toxic, inflammable, explosive and/or carcinogenic substances. Forest fires, the transportation of hazardous goods and the chemical industry may be sources of contaminants. The main sources of the most significant contaminants that are currently measured and their characteristics can be consulted on the website of the Government of Catalonia’s Ministry of Territory and Sustainability (http://mediambient.gencat.cat/ca/05_ambits_dactuacio/atmosfera/la_contaminacio_atmosferica/principals_contaminants/ [in Catalan/Spanish]).
It is especially necessary to take into consideration a whole series of manmade risks that are sometimes also related to natural risks:
- Electrical and electromagnetic risk, caused by artificial elements (wireless networks, electrostatic, electromagnetic fields, etc.) and also by natural elements (underground water pipes, geological lines, radiation of certain natural materials, etc.) which must be analysed and prevented or corrected. Continuous exposure to these electric or electromagnetic fields may lead to headaches, migraines, nausea and in extreme cases the development of electromagnetic hypersensitivity (see 5.4.9. Energy Hygiene and Electromagnetic Fields).
- Risk due to vibrations. It is necessary to avoid the risk of continuous exposure to vibrations created by lifts, water pipes, people’s activity, domestic appliances, underground public transport and traffic, etc. Vibrations in excess of 2 Hz may cause backache, headache, dizziness, carpal tunnel syndrome, vascular disorders, neck pain and back pain. Vibrations below 2 Hz, considered to be low frequency, are unpleasant and may affect the central nervous system, causing dizziness, nausea, vomiting, etc.
- Atmospheric contamination. Many of the people in highly populated areas live in places where the legally established thresholds are exceeded. The main source of emission in urban areas is traffic, although elements like radon gas should also be taken into account. Increases in asthma and allergies in children are related to air quality. Suspended particles cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems in the population and they have also been related to reproductive health problems (see "Air Quality")..
- Noise pollution. Excess noise is related to cardiovascular diseases (see "Noise" and "Acoustic Comfort") (see "Noise Pollution").
- Urban waste pollution. The increase in poorly managed urban waste may give rise to bad smells, infestations and an increase in greenhouse gases (see "Urban Waste Pollution").

Finally, it should be taken into account that the health effects of living in an environment with possible sources of environmental risk may have direct effects on people’s health, as stated above, but also indirect effects such as fear and anguish related to possible adverse effects.

OBJECTIVE

Avoid proximity to sources of environmental risk.
Establish measures that minimise the possible impact that these sources of environmental risk may have on people’s health, if they cannot be avoided.

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The following proposals and recommendations are for the development of housing (public and private):

Be aware that the majority of risks cannot be eliminated and it is necessary to apply risk management strategies, based on prevention.
Use building techniques that facilitate reuse, given that they save energy and resources and therefore reduce environmental contamination and improve public health.
Replace any woodwork, glass, windows and doors that do not guarantee waterproofing.
If there are no healthy sites, a variety of instruments can be used to generate new building plots:
- Reservation of land for its acquisition as Municipal Land and Housing Assets (PMSH); and the transfer of assigned assets for PMSH.
- Establishment and operation of a register of undeveloped plots.
- Acquisition of land, buildings or housing on the free market and through the rights of first refusal and redemption.
To reduce the harmful effects of sources of environmental contamination and improve air quality you can: foster green areas, both on the urban level and in the buildings themselves (green roofs and facades); take into account and foster air currents to avoid the concentration of contaminants; plan the presence of water to make the environment fresher and more humid; or plan shaded areas to offer protection from solar radiation (in private and community spaces).

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

Information only available in Catalan

Pla per la millora de la qualitat de l’aire. Barcelona. 2015-18. El Pla recull actuacions per tal de lluitar contra la contaminació de l'aire per tal d’avançar cap a una societat amb menys emissions i que compti amb una millor qualitat ambiental i de vida per a la ciutadania.
L’autoprotecció davant dels incendis forestals a urbanitzacions i cases aïllades- Generalitat de Catalunya. Aquesta guia informa del risc d’incendis, estableix mesures de prevenció i com actuar en situacions d’emergència.
Memòria de riscos ambientals – Banyeres del Penedès. 2007. Document on s´estudien aquells aspectes ambientals (inundacions, incendis, camp electromagnètic) que poden posar en risc les persones o els béns.
Informe de sostenibilitat ambiental del Pla Director Urbanístic de les Àrees Residencials Estratègiques del Maresme. Redactat per Geoservei. 2008. Document que descriu el medi físic de l’àmbit del pla i els riscos ambientals associats i proposa mesures correctores per mitigar els impactes.

LEGISLATION

Decret legislatiu 1/2010, de 3 d'agost, pels qual s'aprova el Text refós de la llei d'urbanisme modificat per Llei 3/2012, de 22 de febrer, de modificació del text refós de la llei d'urbanisme, i per Llei 2/2014, del 27 de gener, de mesures fiscals, administratives, financeres i del sector públic.
Decret 305/2006, de 18 de juliol, pel qual s'aprova el Reglament de la Llei d'urbanisme de Catalunya
RD 314/2006, de 17 de març, por el que se aprueba el Código Técnico de la Edificación
Decret legislatiu 2/2003, de 28 d'abril, pel qual s'aprova el Text refós de la Llei municipal i de règim local de Catalunya
Decret 336/1988, de 17 d'octubre, pel qual s'aprova el Reglament del patrimoni dels ens locals de Catalunya
Llei 22/2011, de 28 de julio, de residuos y suelos contaminados.
Decret legislatiu 1/2009, de 21 de juliol, pel qual s'aprova el Text refós de la Llei Reguladora dels residus
Llei 8/2008, de 10 de juliol, de finançament de les infraestructures de gestió dels residus i dels cànons sobre la disposició del rebuig dels residus.
Decret 21/2006, de 14 de febrer, que regula l'adopció de criteris ambientals i d'ecoeficiència en els edificis. Article 7 Paràmetres relatius als residus
Directiva Europea 2008/98/CE, sobre residus.
Reial Decret 903/2010, de 9 de juliol, d´avaluació i gestió del risc d´inundacions.
Directiva dels risc d´inundacions, Directiva 2007/60/CE del 23 d´octubre, del Parlament europeu i del Consell relativa a l´avaluació i la gestió del risc d´inundació.
Reial Decret, 1066/2001, de 28 de setembre, pel qual s'aprova el Reglament que estableix condicions del domini públic radioelèctric, restriccions a les emissions radioelèctriques i mesures de protecció sanitària enfront a emissions radioelèctriques. Publicat al BOE, núm. 234, de 29.09.2001
Recomanació del Consell de 12 de juliol de 1999 relativa a l'exposició del públic en general a camps electromagnètics de 0 Hz a 300 GHz.
Directiva 2004/40/CE del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de 29 de abril de 2004, sobre las disposiciones mínimas de seguridad y de salud relativas a la exposición de los trabajadores a los riesgos derivados de los agentes físicos (campos electromagnéticos) (decimoctava Directiva específica con arreglo al apartado 1 del artículo 16 de la Directiva 89/391/CEE)
DECRET 176/2009, de 10 de novembre, pel qual s'aprova el Reglament de la Llei 16/2002, de 28 de juny, de protecció contra la contaminació acústica, i se n'adapten els annexos.
Llei 16/2002, de 28 de juny, de protecció contra la contaminació acústica.

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

Sostenibilitat ambiental global

Inundacions

Risc electromagnètic

Vibracions

Departament del Medi Ambient i Habitatge de la Generalitat de Catalunya. 2010. Model d´Ordenança Municipal reguladora del soroll i les vibracions.

OTHER LISTINGS OF THE GUIDE

Àmbit Habitatge. Fitxa "Confort acústic"
Àmbit Habitatge. Fitxa "Soroll"
Àmbit Habitatge. Fitxa "Higiene energètica i camps electromagnètics"
Àmbit Planificació urbana. "Fitxa Qualitat de l´aire"
Àmbit Espai públic com a promotor de salut. Fitxa "La contaminació acústica"
Àmbit Espai públic com a promotor de salut. Fitxa "La contaminació dels residus urbans"

More information about addressing the Public Health Service: entornurbasalut@diba.cat

Date of last update:
dt., 11 de maig 2021 13:09:31 +0000

Your privacy is our priority

To protect your privacy, before continuing we want to make sure that you know that, both we and our collaborators, use some “cookies” on the website to facilitate its use:

Own and third party for statistical purposes, with which no user information is collected nor access IP addresses are recorded.
Our own and third parties to guarantee basic functioning, such as the user session, and personalization aspects, such as the language of our pages.
We save the acceptance of cookies for 30 days to improve the browsing experience. Remember that you can delete cookies from your browser at any time.
From third parties to show you information from our social networks, such as Facebook, X, YouTube, etc. By accessing these websites you can decide whether or not you accept their privacy and cookie policies.

More information

Households