What we are reading...

Air pollution The World Meteorological Organization warns that increasing wildfires will make clean-air targets harder to achieve.

Air pollution A European Parliament study finds that fine particulate pollution continues to cause major health harms even below current legal limits. It proposes stronger EU action, including a pathway towards the WHO guideline for PM2.5 by 2040, tighter controls on agricultural ammonia and residential wood burning, and greater involvement of health authorities in air-quality planning.

Alcohol: Latvia's new measures to reduce the availability of alcohol led to a 27% drop in alcohol consumption and prevented 60 alcohol-related deaths in the second half of 2025.

Artificial intelligence Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for the pace of frontier AI development to slow, arguing that even one or two extra years could give companies and governments more time to improve safety. He proposes independent monitoring of AI models, common industry standards and international regulation - BBC

Child poverty A European Commission study finds that cash child benefits reduce the EU child poverty rate by an average of 10.6 percentage points. Childhood socioeconomic disadvantage is estimated to cost EU countries around 3.4% of GDP, compared with an estimated 0.4% of GDP to lift all children above the monetary poverty threshold.

Climate change A global modelling study examined heat tolerance among older people. It found that older people could face more frequent and widespread breaches of human heat-tolerance limits at 1.5°C of warming than younger adults would at 4°C. Accounting for age more than doubles the estimates of how many people will face prolonged intolerable heat – The Lancet Planetary Health

Climate change The first Lancet Countdown assessment of climate and health across European cities finds rapidly rising health risks, including a 160.6% increase in heat-related mortality in southern cities and a 369.3% rise in climate suitability for dengue in eastern Europe.

Disease outbreaks A Washington Post investigation shows the substantial public health resources needed to control even relatively small outbreaks. Containing a 10-case measles outbreak in Colorado cost almost $500,000 and more than 6,800 staff hours, with 91 people quarantined and 512 school days missed.

Elections A survey of more than 3,000 people in France finds that 37% see health as the second most important issue influencing their vote in 2027, behind purchasing power and ahead of immigration and security. 57% say they might abstain if no candidate appears credible on public health – LNA Santé

Loneliness One in 20 young people aged 16–21 in England now reports having no close friends, up from one in 100 in 2014, linked to growing disconnection, the erosion of youth services and spaces, housing insecurity, the pandemic, and increasingly digital lives – IPPR

Mental health Eurostat reports that 48,370 people in the EU died by suicide in 2023, accounting for 1% of all deaths. The suicide death rate has fallen over the past decade, from 12.2 per 100,000 people in 2013 to 10.4 in 2023, but men accounted for 76.4% of all suicide deaths, and rates varied more than fivefold between EU countries.

Obesity More than half of EU adults were overweight in 2025, including 16.3% living with obesity. Rates varied considerably between countries, from 7.0% in Italy to 26.6% in Malta, and were higher among men than women – Eurostat

Pandemic preparedness An OECD analysis across 51 countries estimates that investing around USD 6 per person each year in pandemic preparedness can protect both health and economies. It finds that acting early can save lives and reduce economic disruption, while delayed action may leave lockdowns as the only way to regain control.

Prevention A European Policy Centre brief argues that prevention should become a core part of Europe’s resilience agenda, helping societies cope with demographic change, rising healthcare costs and future shocks. It calls for a broader approach that tackles the social and economic conditions shaping health, rather than relying mainly on individual behaviour change.

Tobacco An estimated 2.7 billion people were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2023, including 767 million children, contributing to 1.66 million deaths. Yet, around 70% of the world’s population remains without comprehensive smoke-free protections – The Lancet Public Health

Tobacco A new WHO evidence summary links smoking to poorer fertility in both women and men. Women who smoke have a 40% higher risk of infertility than non-smokers, while smoking is also associated with poorer sperm quality and sexual dysfunction. Second-hand smoke may also affect fertility, and smoking can reduce the success of fertility treatment.

Vaping Ireland’s HSE has detected high-risk synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids in vape products sold in shops and on the illicit market linked to harms including severe intoxication and psychosis – RTÉ

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