bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2-584965ea27236687.pdf

This briefing explores the links between chemical safety, noise pollution, and social inequalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It identifies that marginalized groups, including women, children, and Roma communities, face higher risks of exposure due to physiological vulnerabilities, gender-normed occupational roles, and poverty-driven residential locations. The document highlights a severe lack of official environmental health data in BiH and advocates for disaggregated data collection and inclusive policy-making to protect vulnerable populations.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina faces significant chemical contamination of water, soil, and food, primarily driven by inadequate disposal of municipal and industrial waste, mining, hospital waste, and a lack of sewage systems and wastewater treatment plants.
• There is a critical lack of official data in Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the link between environmental pollution and health, as well as a total absence of data on noise pollution within the country.
• Gender norms in Bosnia and Herzegovina influence occupational exposure to chemicals; while men traditionally occupy high-risk roles in industry and construction, women are disproportionately represented in high-risk sectors such as healthcare and social work, where women make up over 70% of the workforce.
• Women and children are more vulnerable to hazardous chemicals due to both physiological reasons and social roles. Women's responsibility for household management and use of personal care products increases exposure, while children are vulnerable due to behaviors like crawling and an inability to read warning labels.
• In the agricultural sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina, women are employed at a higher rate (20.5%) than men (16%), with higher concentrations in Republika Srpska (33.9%) than in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (10%). Gender norms often restrict women to manual activities, potentially increasing their risk of chemical exposure compared to men in decision-making roles.
• Socially disadvantaged groups, particularly Roma communities in Central and South-East Europe, face higher vulnerability to chemical contamination because they frequently reside in polluted areas near landfills and industrial sites, a situation exacerbated by discrimination and limited access to education and health services.
• To mitigate environmental health inequalities, the document recommends implementing workplace exposure controls, restricting certain substances, incorporating gender differences into risk assessments, and improving living standards for marginalised populations.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2-584965ea27236687.pdf. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2-584965ea27236687.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2-584965ea27236687.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendbihesapdbchemicalsandnoiseandequalityfinaleng2584965ea27236687pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2-584965ea27236687.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-db-chemicals-and-noise-and-equality-final-eng-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }