Public Health
Volume 122, Issue 5 , Pages 446-451 , May 2008

An attempt to quantify the health impacts of flooding in the UK using an urban case study

  • Lorna Fewtrell

      Affiliations

    • Centre for Research into Environment and Health, Coppice House, Quakers Coppice, Crewe CW1 6FA, UK
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +441270250583; fax: +441270589761.
    • ,
  • David Kay

      Affiliations

    • Hydrology and River Basin Dynamics Research Group, IGES, University of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UK

Received 23 April 2007 ,Revised 14 August 2007 ,Accepted 26 September 2007.

References 

  1. Robson AJ. Evidence for trends in UK flooding. Philos Trans R Soc London Ser A Math Phys Sci. 2002;360:1327–1343
  2. Few R, Ahern M, Matthies F, Kovats S. Floods, health and climate change: a strategic review. Working paper 63. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change; 2004.
  3. Murray CJL, Lopez AD. The global burden of disease and injury series. Volume II: global health statistics. Harvard School of Public Health, World Bank, World Health Organization; 1996.
  4. Prüss-Üstün A, Kay D, Fewtrell L, Bartram J. Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. In: Ezzati M, Lopez AD, Rodgers A, Murray CJL, editors. Comparative quantification of health risks. Global and regional burden of disease attributable to selected major risk factors. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2004. p. 1321–52.
  5. Prüss A, Havelaar A. The Global Burden of Disease study and applications in water, sanitation and hygiene. In: Fewtrell L, Bartram J, editors. Water quality: guidelines, standards and health. London: IWA Publishing; 2001. p. 43–59.
  6. GAD Interim life tables 2001–2003. England. Male and female. Government's Actuary Department, UK Government; 2005. Available at: 〈http://www.gad.gov.uk/Life_Tables/Interim_Life_Tables.htm〉. Last accessed 17 June 2005.
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  8. World Health Organization. Disability weights used in the Global Burden of Disease 1990 study. Available at: 〈http://www3.who.int/whpsis/menu.cfm?path=evidence,bod,burden,burden-manual_burden_manual_other&language=english〉. Last accessed 17 June 2005. Geneva: WHO; 2005.
  9. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs/Environment Agency. Flood risks to people, phase 2. FD2321/IR2. Flood Risk and Coastal Defence R&D Programme. DEFRA/EA; 2004.
  10. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs/Environment Agency. Flood risks to people. Phase 2: the risks to people methodology FD2321/TR1. Flood Risk and Coastal Defence R&D Programme. DEFRA/EA; 2006.
  11. Prüss A, Kay D, Fewtrell L, Bartram J. Estimating the burden of disease from water, sanitation and hygiene at a global level. Environ Health Perspect. 2002;110:537–542
  12. Hajat S, Ebi KL, Kovats S, Menne B, Edwards S, Haines A. The human health consequences of flooding in Europe and the implications for public health: a review of the evidence. Appl Environ Sci Public Health. 2003;1:13–21
  13. Ohl C, Tapsell S. Flooding and human health. Br Med J. 2000;321:1167–1168
  14. Tapsell S, Tunstall S. An examination of the health effects of flooding in the United Kingdom. J Meteorol. 2003;28:341–349
  15. Milly PC, Wetherald RT, Dunne KA, Delworth TL. Increasing risk of great floods in a changing climate. Nature. 2002;415:514–517
  16. Evans EP, Ashley R, Hall J, Penning-Rowsell EC, Saul A, Sayers P, et al. Foresight future flooding scientific summary, Vol. I and II. London: Office of Science and Technology; 2004.
  17. Tunstall S, Tapsell S, Green C, Floyd P, George C. The health effects of flooding: social research results from England and Wales. J Water Health. 2006;4:365–380
  18. Duclos P, Vidonne O, Beuf P, Perray P, Stoebner A. Flash flood disaster—Nîmes, France, 1988. Eur J Epidemiol. 1991;7:365–371
  19. Reacher M, McKenzie K, Lane C, Nichols T, Kedge I, Iversen A, et al. Health impacts of flooding in Lewes: a comparison of reported gastrointestinal and other illness and mental health in flooded and non-flooded households. Commun Dis Public Health. 2004;7:39–46
  20. Wade TJ, Sandhu SK, Levy D, Lee S, LeChevallier MW, Katz L, et al. Did a severe flood in the Midwest cause an increase in the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms?. Am J Epidemiol. 2004;159:398–405
  21. Fewtrell L, Kay D. Flooding and health—an HIA of urban pluvial flooding in the UK. In: A guide to the health impact assessment of sustainable water management. London: IWA Publishing; in press.
  22. Food Standards Agency. A report of the study of infectious intestinal disease in England. London: The Stationery Office; 2000;

PII: S0033-3506(07)00319-8

doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2007.09.010

Public Health
Volume 122, Issue 5 , Pages 446-451 , May 2008

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