A new postcode tool has been launched to help people understand how the environmental health trends in their area are impacting their health.
The website called Right to Know allows folk in Scotland, England or Wales to anyone to enter their postal address and access information about what the environmental conditions are like where they live.
Using the nifty tool, the page shares details on everything from air quality and noise to summer heat and natural light.
The newly compiled data, designed by Centric Lab, also reveals each neighbourhood’s deprivation rating.
Alongside the stats, the website produces a grade for each “stresser” to give residents and indication the most damaging environmental factors in their area.
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A low grade means the spot has the social resources to live in a “mentally and physically safe environment” and grades strongly against the rest of the nation.
And while a medium score indicates the neighbourhood has an average level of resources, a high grade means the area has has a "relative lack of basic resources to sustain a healthy lifestyle compared to the rest of the nation".
The free website says it wants to share key information because residents have the right to know if where they live could be impacting their health.
But it’s more than just a tool for accessing information – Centric Lab said they want to help create “healing futures” by building a digital infrastructure that supports local campaigners and promotes a strategy for health justice.
The site reads: “Change happens through citizens, the more people that know about how health relates to the environment, the more it will motivate people to seek ways to improve these poor environmental conditions.
“Right to Know can help GP’s understand more about the environmental factors that can be affecting the communities they help heal and provides a critical tool for creating a healthier future.
“Citizens and communities need access to tools that make it simple to access the environmental data and information that is required to influence health campaigns.
"This new digital platform can be used to advance personal awareness, support health communication campaigns and spark change within a community.”
You can find out more and check your own postcode rating here.
