The 7th International Symposium on the Ethics of Environmental Health was held on the campus of the University of South Bohemia from Sunday 6 to Wednesday 9 September. This edition of the event, which has been a tradition since 2011, brought together experts from 13 countries across Europe, North America, and East Asia. They discussed moral principles and values that play a role in assessing the effects of environmental factors, such as radiation and toxic substances, on human health. The main organiser was Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Friedo Zölzer, DSc., Professor of Environmental Sciences at the Institute of Radiology, Toxicology and Population Protection, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, JU.
This year, the symposium provided valuable input to the work of a task group of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), which is due to prepare a report on "Ethics of Radiological Protection in Practice" for the ICRP Main Commission. Several Main Commission members also attended the symposium, welcoming the opportunity to engage with experts from other fields on their respective challenges and solutions.
One topic that received particular attention was "energy ethics", focusing on the ethical challenges involved in choosing future energy technologies. The session was honoured by the presence of Prof. Ing. Pavel Kozák, Ph.D., Rector of the University of South Bohemia. The university has hosted this symposium more or less every two years since 2014. Several editions have received funding from European research projects, with the university – and more specifically the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences – leading work packages dedicated to ethical questions.
