Healthy e-health? Think 'environmental e-health'!
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Date
2010-12-30
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Abstract
The Environmental e Health Research and Training Program has completed its scoping study to understand the breadth of a new field of research Environmental e Health Nearly every aspect of modern life is associated directly or indirectly with application of technology from a cup of coffee through transportation to and from work to appliances in the home and industrial activities In recent decades the rapidly increasing application of information and communications technologies ICT has added to the cacophony of technological noise around us Research has shown that technology use including ICTs has impact upon the environment Studying environmental impact in such a complex global setting is daunting e Health is now being used as a convenient microcosm of ICT application within which to study these impacts and is particularly poignant given that e Health s environmental harms conflict with its noble goals of doing no harm The study has identified impacts both benefits and harms in all three life cycle phases for e Health up stream materials extraction manufacturing packaging distribution mid stream use period and down stream end of life processes disposal recycling In addition the literature shows that a holistic Life Cycle Assessment approach is essential to understand the complexity of the setting and determine the true balance between total harms and total benefits and for whom