Environmental hazards

Environmental hazards are factors in the environment that can harm the health of people and communities. These can include adverse weather and air quality. You can find information about environmental hazards below. 

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Adverse Weather and Health Plan aims to protect individuals and communities from the health effects of adverse weather and to build community resilience.

Adverse weather alerts

The Weather-Health Alerting System is provided by UKHSA in partnership with the Met Office. It is intended to provide early warning when adverse temperatures are likely to impact on the health and wellbeing of the population.

The Weather-Health Alerting System is made up of the Heat-Health Alerts (HHA) and the Cold-Health Alerts (CHA). The alerting system supports the governments Adverse Weather and Health Plan.

The HHA system runs from 1 June to 30 September. The CHA system runs from 1 November to 31 March. You can register to receive the UKHSA Weather Health Alerts by email.

Exposure to cold temperatures can affect anyone but some people are particularly at risk including:

  • older people (aged 65 and above)
  • people with cardiovascular (heart and circulation) conditions
  • people with respiratory conditions (in particular chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and childhood asthma)
  • people with mental health conditions
  • people with learning and/or physical disabilities
  • young children (particularly those aged under five)
  • pregnant women
  • people on a low income

There are lots of reasons for the increased risk of ill-health in cold weather. These include:

  • poor-quality housing and particularly cold homes
  • the higher frequency of circulating infectious diseases such as flu and norovirus during the winter months
  • physical hazards such as snow and ice

During cold weather, people may also use malfunctioning or inappropriate appliances to heat their homes. This can increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. When a house is damp as well as cold, mould is more likely to occur. This can increase the risk of illness, especially from asthma.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance

The UKHSA keeping warm and well guidance on staying safe in cold weather provides advice on keeping buildings warm during periods of cold weather and other general measures to help protect social care clients.

UKHSA setting-specific guidance

There is also UKHSA guidance and cold weather action cards to support vulnerable people before and during cold weather in different settings:

UKHSA Cold weather action cards

Visit the GOV.UK website for more information on the cold weather action cards

The Cold-Health Alerting system runs from 1 November to 31 March. You can register to receive the UKHSA Weather Health Alerts by email. 

You can find more tips on how to stay well and get help during winter in our Winter Wise booklet [PDF]

Most of us welcome warmer weather but when it's too hot, there are health risks. During heatwaves, more people than usual get seriously ill or die.

A heatwave can affect anyone, but the most vulnerable people are:

  • older people, especially those over 75 and female
  • those who live on their own or in a care home
  • people who have a serious or long-term illness including heart or lung conditions, diabetes, kidney disease, Parkinson's disease or some mental health conditions
  • people who are on multiple medicines that may make them more likely to be badly affected by hot weather
  • those who may find it hard to keep cool e.g. babies and the very young, the bed bound, those with drug or alcohol addictions or with Alzheimer's disease
  • people who spend a lot of time outside or in hot places e.g. those who live in a top-floor flat, the homeless or those who work outside.

Hot weather can place strain on the heart and lungs. For that reason, the majority of serious illness and deaths caused by heat are respiratory and cardiovascular.

Overexposure to the sun is equally dangerous, with effects ranging from mild sunburn to skin cancer. It doesn’t have to be hot for the UV index to be high.

The hot weather can also put strain on water and energy utilities, road and rail transport and the health and fire services.

If hot weather hits this summer, make sure it does not harm you or anyone you know.

Signs of heat-related illness

If you, or someone else, feels unwell with a high temperature during hot weather or after physical exertion, stay alert to the possibility of heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

Find out more about the signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and when to get help.

We have also developed a heat related illness flyer [PDF] and heat related illness poster [PDF] to help spot the signs and actions to take.

What can you do to stay safe and well?

Be prepared

Keep up-to-date with Met Office weather forecast and high temperature health warnings. Visit the Met Office WeatherReady webpage for expert seasonal advice and follow the simple steps on the Met Office poster [PDF].

Further advice is also available in the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance and resources below, and on the Age UK website.

Check on others

Please check in on family, friends and neighbours who are vulnerable, every day during hot weather and help them keep their home as cool as possible. 

Information is also available from the NHS on coping in hot weather, sunscreen and sun safety, treating sunburn and how to spot dehydration.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance

The UKHSA Beat the Heat: staying safe in hot weather guidance and UKHSA Beat the Heat: keep cool at home checklist provides advice for everyone on how to stay safe during hot weather and helps identify if a home may be at risk of overheating and how to reduce this risk. More information can be found on the UKHSA Beat the heat poster [PDF].

UKHSA setting-specific guidance

There is also UKHSA guidance and hot weather action cards to support vulnerable people before and during hot weather in different settings:

UKHSA hot weather action cards

Visit the GOV.UK website for more information on the hot weather action cards

The Heat-Health Alerting system runs from 1 June to 30 September. You can register to receive the UKHSA Weather Health Alerts by email. 

Clean air is one of the most basic requirements for us all to live and work. It is essential for our good health, wellbeing and for the natural environment. Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. It shortens lives and reduces quality of life, particularly amongst the most vulnerable, the young and old and those living with health conditions. It also damages ecosystems and wildlife.

Air pollution is defined as a mixture of gases and particles that have been emitted into the atmosphere by human-made processes. There are a range of pollutants. The combustion of fossil and carbon-based fuels such as coal, oil, gas, petrol/diesel and wood burning are the most significant sources of the key pollutants of concern to local authorities. They also emit carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas.

Outdoor burning

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have published best practice guidance on outdoor burning [PDF]. The aim of this guidance is to inform members of the public of the air quality impact of outdoor burning and help them to reduce emissions from it. It also supports reducing the risk of wildfires. 

Domestic Burning

Taking better care of stoves or open fires and feeding them the right fuel can reduce the harms to users and others.

Burning at home is a major contributor to a type of pollutant called fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) which is present in smoke, dust and grit. These tiny particles aren’t always visible but can damage health.

Burn Better, Breathe Better Campaign

The Burn Better, Breathe Better campaign has been running annually since Autumn 2020 and aims to encourage those who use a stove or open fire to take actions that help reduce the amount of PM2.5 that their stove or open fire emits.  
 
The campaign asks people to take three key actions to reduce the risk and ‘burn better’: 

  • check it: get their stove checked regularly
  • sweep it: have their chimney professional swept at least once a year
  • feed it: use the correct ‘Ready to Burn’ fuels.

Below are some useful training resources if you would like to learn more about environmental hazards.

NHS England elearning for healthcare: Helping People Living in Cold Homes e-module for frontline practitioners

NHS England elearning for healthcare Hub: Hot Weather Guidance for Carers

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