EHOA/CIEH(NI) Conference 2004

Glorious weather gave Malahide, Co. Dublin a Mediterranean air for the 2004 Environmental Health Conference in May. Over 200 delegates from all corners of the country participated in the two-day event, which was based on the theme ‘ How Healthy is our Environment?’ This event encompassing the Golden Jubilee Ball looked at Environment and Health in their wider sense examining some issues in which EHOs have an interest and an opinion but not necessarily a statutory role.

Speakers from Ireland, U.K, W.H.O. and Germany gave delegates the benefit of their expertise in many areas from trends in communicable disease to climate change and electro-magnetic radiation. The keynote speaker Mr. Frank McDonald Irish Times Environment Editor opened the proceedings with a controversial outline of the EPA report published the previous day, the findings of which underscored many of the issues on the agenda for the conference, and obviously with the year that was in it tobacco also featured on the proceedings.

Attendance at all the sessions was tremendous over both days and can only be indicative of the interest in the papers and the calibre of the speakers, the fact that this was the first conference to be held in Dublin in over 20 years and the first year that a non-residential rate was available, may also have allowed more members to participate than in previous years.

Thanks must be expressed to all those speakers who gave of their time so generously, to our trade exhibitors for their unwavering support over the years and of course to all those in the Eastern Branch who were involved in organising the event.