From a public health perspective, it is necessary to:

• collect data to better quantify the health impact of environmental risk factors and to better identify the populations most vulnerable to these factors

• to tailor prevention strategies as effectively as possible

• to evaluate the impact of public policies on the creation of a health-promoting living environment.

For certain risk exposures, such as those linked to potentially contaminated environments—like industrial sites or polluted soils—the impacts remain to be documented. This step is essential for helping to define environmental management measures or prevention strategies aimed at influencing individual behavior.

The Polluted Soils and Health program of Santé publique France aims to better quantify the impact of soil pollution on public health.
An analysis of national and international studies published to date reveals the difficulty of estimating population exposure to soil pollutants, as the transfer of pollutants from soil into the human body is poorly understood. Understanding and quantifying this exposure are therefore prerequisites for an appropriate public health response.