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In her opening remarks, Prof. Indah explained that sustainable development must ensure that the needs of the present generation are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

She noted that development in many countries is still largely oriented toward economic growth while overlooking environmental aspects. According to her, this condition creates a paradox of prosperity that ultimately leads to a decline in quality of life due to water, air, and soil pollution.

Environmental Health Risk Assessment as a Scientific Solution

Prof. Indah stated that the world is currently facing a triple planetary crisis, namely the combination of climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing pollution and waste. These three crises reinforce one another and create direct impacts on human health.

She cited a World Health Organization (WHO) report showing that 24 percent of global deaths are linked to environmental factors, a figure that, in her view, reflects a serious situation that must not be ignored. “This is not merely an ecological issue, but a global public health concern,” she said.

Moving into the core of her oration, Prof. Indah explained that Environmental Health Risk Assessment (EHRA) is a highly important scientific approach for evaluating health impacts caused by exposure to pollutants. EHRA was described as a systematic process that includes hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response analysis, and risk characterization to determine the level of both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks.

She emphasized that disease does not arise solely as the result of a pollutant agent, but rather from the interaction among the agent, the environment, and the host. Imbalances among these factors significantly increase health risks.

Through the EHRA approach, pollutant exposure pathways can be analyzed through oral, dermal, and inhalation routes, allowing both short-term and long-term health impacts to be predicted and mapped. “Scientific data are not merely numbers, but tools for making decisions that can protect communities,” she said.

Prof. Indah explained that EHRA results serve as the basis for determining priority areas that require immediate intervention through proper risk management. This approach enables policymakers to establish strategies based on measurable scientific data.

The Citarum River Case Study and Future Challenges

To demonstrate the application of EHRA in a real-world context, Prof. Indah presented research findings on pollution in the Citarum River. Spatial analysis showed high health risks due to exposure to heavy metals such as lead and arsenic.

She noted that 95 percent of the Dayeuhkolot area falls into the high-risk category. These findings show a direct link between environmental degradation and the increasing risk of chronic disease among exposed communities.

In addition, she highlighted the emergence of pollutants such as microplastics and pharmaceutical residues, which are found at very low concentrations but may still produce significant biological effects.

According to her, future challenges will become increasingly complex and will require multidisciplinary collaboration among analytical chemistry, toxicology, spatial data science, and biostatistics to predict risks more accurately.

In closing, Prof. Indah stressed that EHRA plays a strategic role in the formulation of public policy. She referred to the implementation of the EHRA Guidelines by the Ministry of Health in 2024 as an important step in strengthening health impact assessment in environmental impact assessment documents in Indonesia.

“If we fail to understand the risks today, the next generation will pay the price,” she said. She expressed hope that academics, government, and society can work together to safeguard environmental sustainability as the foundation of the well-being of all living beings.