Environmental health 314696 223267826 2008-07-03T09:41:28Z 213.94.192.200 /* External links */ '''Environmental health''' is the branch of [[public health]] that is concerned with all aspects of the [[natural environment|natural]] and [[built environment]] that may affect human [[health]]. Other terms that refer to the discipline of environmental health include '''environmental public health''' and '''environmental health and protection'''. Environmental health is defined by the [[World Health Organisation]] as: <blockquote>Those aspects of [[human health]] and [[disease]] that are determined by factors in the environment. It also refers to the [[theory]] and practice of assessing and controlling factors in the environment that can potentially affect health.</blockquote> <blockquote>Environmental health as used by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, includes both the direct pathological effects of [[chemical]]s, [[radiation]] and some [[biological]] agents, and the effects (often indirect) on health and [[wellness|wellbeing]] of the broad [[physical]], [[psychological]], [[social]] and [[aesthetic]] environment which includes [[housing]], [[urban development]], [[land use]] and [[transport]]. <ref>{{cite web | last = Novick | first = Robert (editor) | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Overview of the environment and health in Europe in the 1990s | work = | publisher = [[World Health Organisation]] | date = 1999-03-29 | url = http://www.euro.who.int/document/e66792.pdf | format = pdf | doi = | accessdate = }}</ref></blockquote> ==Environmental health services== Environmental health services are defined by the [[World Health Organisation]] as: <blockquote>those services which implement environmental health policies through monitoring and control activities. They also carry out that role by promoting the improvement of environmental parameters and by encouraging the use of environmentally friendly and healthy technologies and behaviours. They also have a leading role in developing and suggesting new policy areas.</blockquote> Environmental health practitioners may be known as [[sanitarian]]s, [[public health inspector]]s, environmental health specialists or [[environmental health officer]]s. Many states in the [[United States]] require that individuals have professional [[license]]s in order to practice environmental health. [[California]] state law defines the scope of practice of environmental health as follows: <blockquote>"Scope of practice in environmental health" means the practice of environmental health by registered environmental health specialists in the public and private sector within the meaning of this article and includes, but is not limited to, organization, management, education, enforcement, consultation, and emergency response for the purpose of prevention of environmental health hazards and the promotion and protection of the public health and the environment in the following areas: food protection; housing; institutional environmental health; land use; community noise control; recreational swimming areas and waters; electromagnetic radiation control; solid, liquid, and hazardous materials management; underground storage tank control; onsite septic systems; vector control; drinking water quality; water sanitation; emergency preparedness; and milk and dairy sanitation.<ref>California Health and Safety Code, section 106615(e)</ref></blockquote> The environmental health [[profession]] had its modern-day roots in the sanitary and [[public health]] movement of the [[United Kingdom]]. This was epitomized by [[Edwin Chadwick|Sir Edwin Chadwick]], who was instrumental in the repeal of the [[poor law]]s and was the founding president of the Association of Public Sanitary Inspectors in 1884, which today is the [[Chartered Institute of Environmental Health]]. ==Environmental health concerns== Environmental health addresses all human-health-related aspects of both the [[natural environment]] and the [[built environment]]. Environmental health concerns include: * [[Air quality]], including both ambient outdoor air and [[indoor air quality]], which also comprises concerns about [[environmental tobacco smoke]]. * [[Body art]] safety, including [[tattooing]], [[body piercing]] and [[permanent cosmetics]]. * [[Climate change]] and its effects on health. * [[Disaster preparedness]] and response. * [[Food safety]], including in [[agriculture]], [[transportation]], [[food processing]], [[wholesale]] and [[retail]] distribution and sale. * [[Hazardous materials]] management, including [[hazardous waste]] management, contaminated site remediation, the prevention of leaks from [[underground storage tank]]s and the prevention of hazardous materials releases to the environment and responses to emergency situations resulting from such releases. * [[Housing]], including [[substandard housing]] abatement and the inspection of [[jails]] and [[prisons]]. * Childhood [[lead poisoning]] prevention. * Land use planning, including [[smart growth]]. * Liquid waste disposal, including city [[wastewater treatment]] plants and on-site waste water disposal systems, such as [[septic tank]] systems and [[chemical toilet]]s. * [[Medical waste]] management and disposal. * [[Noise pollution]] control. * [[Occupational health]] and [[industrial hygiene]]. * Radiological health, including exposure to [[ionizing radiation]] from [[X-rays]] or [[radioactive isotopes]]. * Recreational water illness prevention, including from [[swimming pools]], spas and [[ocean]] and [[freshwater]] bathing places. * Safe [[drinking water]]. * [[Solid waste management]], including [[landfill]]s, [[recycling]] facilities, [[composting]] and solid waste transfer stations. * [[Toxic]] chemical exposure whether in [[consumer products]], housing, workplaces, air, water or soil. * [[Vector control]], including the control of [[mosquitoes]], [[rodents]], [[flies]], [[cockroaches]] and other animals that may transmit [[pathogens]]. ==See also== *[[Air Pollution]] *[[Chartered Institute of Environmental Health]] (CIEH) *[[EcoHealth]] *[[Ecological health]] *[[Electromagnetic fields#Health_and_safety|Electromagnetic fields]] *[[Environmental Health Clinic]] *''[[Environmental Health Perspectives]]'' * [[Globalization and Health]] *[[Nightingale's environmental theory]] *[[Noise Pollution]] *[[Public health]] *[[Sick Building Syndrome]] *[[Water Pollution]] ==Further reading== *Andrew M. Pope and David P. Rall, Editors; Committee on Curriculum Development in Environmental Medicine, Institute of Medicine. (1995). [http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=4795 Environmental Medicine: Integrating a Missing Element into Medical Education.] National Academies Press. ==References== {{sources|date=January 2007}} {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.ehoa.ie Environmental Health Officers Association - Ireland] *[http://www.who.int/topics/environmental_health/en/ World Health Organization environmental health webpage] *[http://www.ifeh.org/ International Federation of Environmental Health website] *[http://health.europa.eu/my_environment/environmental_health/index_en.htm The Public Health Portal of the European Union] Information on EU activities in environmental health *[http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ CDC National Center for Environmental Health (US) website] *[http://www.neha.org/ National Environmental Health Association (US) website] *[http://www.rehis.org/ Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland website] *[http://www.ciphi.ca/ Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors website] *[http://www.nzieh.org.nz/ New Zealand Institute of Environmental Health website] *[http://www.aphok.org/ Association of Public Health Officers Kenya website] *[http://www.cehn.org/ Children's Environmental Health Network (US) website] *[http://www.iceh.org/ Institute for Children's Environmental Health (US) website] *[http://www.ccdeh.com/ California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health website] *[http://www.ceha.org/ California Environmental Health Association website] *[http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro.html NLM Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program] *[http://toxseek.nlm.nih.gov NLM Metasearch Engine for Toxicology and Environmental Health] *[http://www.maeho.net Malta Association of Environmental Health Officers] *[http://www.medicalecology.org/ Medical Ecology] [[Category:Environmental health| ]] [[af:Omgewingsgesondheid]] [[de:Umweltmedizin]] [[es:Salud ambiental]]