Deuxième plan national santé–environnement : 2009–2013

Aim of the study The purpose of this article is to present the second National Plan for Health and Environment (PNSE 2) that has just been published for the period 2009–2013. Method The French government has just published the National plan for health and environment describing which action it intends to take in this field over the next 5 years. The national Code of health stipulates that the plan is to be published every 5 years, and this is the second publication pursuant to that provision. Results This plan specifies the commitments of the “Grenelle de l’Environment” as regards health and environment. The plan was drafted with the guidance of a steering committee, composed of experts. It takes a joint approach to the environment – domestic and external, but also to the working environment. Two priority areas have been selected: reduce exposures responsible for pathologies with a high impact on health; reduce environmental inequalities. This PNSE comprises 58 actions, 12 of which are priorities, organised in 16 main categories. Conclusion This second plan confirm that the first plan was only a first step towards giving greater consideration to the impact of the environment on health. It offers a genuine opportunity for public health provided that each individual understands how to use it to improve our quality of life.