Cluster Health | Umweltbundesamt

Climate change will lead to extreme weather events in Germany, such as increasingly frequent heat-waves. The heat exposure associated with such events is currently one of the largest impacts on human health. Particular attention is therefore devoted to this aspect and actions adopted accordingly. These include information for the wider public or for health professionals, and developing outreach to particularly vulnerable groups of the population (e.g. the elderly, people with pre-existing conditions, children).

To handle heatwaves better, it is essential to study the effects of mechanisms adopted and to use the findings to develop further actions. To this end a survey, analysis and evaluation of existing heat action plans will be carried out.

The existing provisions and applicable state rules on occupational safety and health with regard to heat and UV radiation will be reviewed, and any need for amendment determined. This concerns, for instance, the Technical Rules for Workplaces (ASR). Furthermore, the Ordinance on Preventive Occupational Healthcare (Verordnung zur arbeitsmedizinischen Vorsorge – ArbMedVV) will be evaluated with regard to its thresholds for preventive checkups for occupations involving outdoor activities subject to intensive exposure to natural UV radiation.

A further action in this cluster is the study of pathogenic modes of action of new pollen allergens, as exemplified by Ambrosia artemisiifolia. In addition, trend analyses of imported vector-borne infectious diseases in Germany will be carried out. To this end, the RKI continuously evaluates the surveillance data on imported vector-borne infectious diseases at national level and publishes the key findings.

Furthermore, steps are under way to improve the integration of health and environmental monitoring, so that existing structures can be used in the framework of an integrated surveillance system at federal level to monitor health-related environmental factors and assign them to health impairments.

Information and early warning systems will be adjusted and expanded, whereby the channels of information and the forms in which it is transmitted will be adjusted to match all target groups. This
action area includes establishing and refining warning systems for medical and nursing facilities and the population groups concerned, and integrating heat, UV and air pollutant exposures into suitable early warning systems.