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Environmental health is defined by the World Health Orgamnisation as:
“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”.
Box 4.4 notes a wide range of conerns that environmental needs to address.
Box 4.4: Environmental health issues
Environmental health addresses all human-health-related aspects of both the natural and built environment. Environmental health concerns include:
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Air quality, including both ambient outdoor air and indoor air quality, which also comprises concerns about tobacco smoke.
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Hazardous materials management, including hazardous waste management, contaminated site remediation, the prevention of leaks from underground storage tanks and the prevention of hazardous materials releases to the environment and responses to emergency situations resulting from such releases.
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Solid waste management, including landfills, recycling facilities, composting and solid waste transfer stations.
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Liquid waste disposal, including city wastewater treatment plants and on-site waste water disposal systems, such as septic tank systems and chemical toilets.
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Medical waste management and disposal.
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Climate change and its effects on health.
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Disaster preparedness and response.
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Food safety, including in agriculture, transportation, food processing, wholesale and retail distribution and sale.
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Housing, including substandard housing abatement and the inspection of jails and prisons.
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Land use planning, including smart growth.
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Noise pollution control.
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Occupational health and industrial hygiene.
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Childhood lead posioning prevention.
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Radiological health, including exposure to ionising radiation from X-rays or radioactive isotopes.
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Recreational water illness prevention, including from swimiing pools, spas and ocean and freshwater bathing places.
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Safe drinking water.
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Toxic chemical exposure whether in consumer products, housing, workplaces, air, water or soil.
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Vector control, including the control of mosquitos, rodents, flies, cockroaches and other animals that may transmit pathogens.
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Body art safety, including tattooing, body piercing and permanent cosmetics.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_health
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Many countries have established Environmenrtal Health Services which implement environmental health policies through monitoring and control activities. They also promote the improvement of environmental parameters and encourage the use of environmentally friendly and healthy technologies and behaviours.
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