Environmental degradation is a global problem. Hence the importance of research into the scientificmethodological principles for formalising the concept of 'environmental quality' in relation to 'quality of life'. The aim of this work is to assess the quality of the living environment in terms of its condition from the perspective of improving the comfort of human habitation. Air pollution affects the quality of public health and decreases the life expectancy of the population. Inevitably, under the influence of the development of technical-technological progress of human society there is an increase in emissions of harmful substances. Eco-diagnosis and balanced development of the environment contribute to maintaining public health. In the article environmental factors have been characterised in the context of European practice as a factor influencing quality of life and public health. Based on the indicators reviewed, the authors state that environmental management is multifactorial. Each country has its own pattern of economic development, which influences the degree of environmental pollution differently. According to international statistics presented by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, 10% of the quality of life index is due to the quality of the environment. The use of the multifactorial model of environmental pollution, reducing the indicators of the degree of pollution, will contribute to the increase of public health, as a component of the quality of life of the population. Based on the environmental conditions and the European directives developed with the aim of reducing these risks, the authors identify the strategic directions to combat pollution. According to preventive research, quality of life management is linked to environmental management. In turn, public health problems are closely linked to environmental management problems. Environmental quality assurance is expected from the monitoring and implementation of directives to European standards. For a clear and representative interpretation of the information various research methods were used: clustering, analysis, synthesis and comparative method. The relevance of the results obtained allowed the authors to formulate the impact of the environment on public health in line with European public policies. Keywords: environment, quality of life, pollutants, harmful substances