Organization Oregon Health Authority, Office of Environmental Health
The Oregon Health Authority, Office of Environmental Public Health conducted an HIA to examine the potential health impacts of using biomass (wood) burning boilers in schools. A new policy allows school districts around the state to convert their heating systems to boilers that burn wood chips or pellets. Possible health impacts include asthma, cancer, and general cardiovascular irritation from pollutants.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality amended their program according to the HIA’s recommendations.
The Health Impact Project’s toolkit contains resources that help communities, agencies, and other organizations take action to improve public health. The toolkit offers a collection of health impact assessments, guides, and other research to support policymakers’ efforts to consider health when making decisions across sectors, such as housing, planning, and education.
