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Environmental health, 1937-2015
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Environmental health is a discipline focusing on the impact of physical, chemical, and biological factors on the environment and human health. These environmental factors are studied in order to improve public health initiatives, such as disease prevention, food safety, and air quality improvement.[1]
History
Environmental health as a course of study and a professional discipline began in the early 20th century. The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) was founded in California in 1937. The association was comprised of health professionals interested in the state of the environment. The group wrote criteria to build up environmental health as a body of knowledge. The association then developed credential requirements for membership.[2]
In 1966, the Division of Environmental Health Sciences was established as part of the National Institute of Health, which is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. By 1969, the division became the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which is located in North Carolina. The institute conducts scientific and health studies on the relationship between the natural environment and human health. For example, the institute published studies on the effects of asbestos exposure on lung health in 1967, a 1979 study on the link between lead exposure and delayed cognitive and behavioral development in children, and a 1980 study on the effects of carcinogens from chemical and industrial processes on human health. The institute established eight Children's Environmental Health Centers in 1998.[3][4]
In 1980, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) established the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), which focused on the effects of environmental factors on disability and disease. In 1987, the CEH began overseeing non-occupational injury control programs meant to assist those who experience illness, injury, or disease outside of work. In 1991, the CEH became the Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control.[5]
Environmental health topics
Environmental health specialists can focus on the following topics:
- Indoor air pollution: Indoor air pollution includes air pollutants found within the home, such as pollutants from cigarette smoke, charcoal or wood stoves, fine particles, and carbon monoxide.[6]
- Outdoor air pollution: Outdoor air pollution is emitted by motor vehicles, industrial facilities, and forest fires. These pollutants include particulate matter (small particles), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen, and smog.[7]
- Chemical safety: Environmental health specialists study natural and manufactured chemicals that may negatively affect human health at certain concentrations. These chemicals include asbestos and lead.[8]
- Water and sanitation: Water and sanitation includes drinking and bathing water quality, water sanitation and hygiene, wastewater, and household water.[9]
- Environmental emergencies: Environmental emergencies are natural disasters or human-caused accidents, such as chemical and oil spills, earthquakes, or floods.[10]
Environmental health disciplines
Below are three common environmental health sub-disciplines of study:
Environmental epidemiology
Environmental epidemiology focuses on environmental hazards and their connection to human health. Epidemiology focuses on human exposure to chemicals, radiation, microbes, pollutants, and particles and involves observational studies of people who have been exposed to these elements. Environmental epidemiologists identify contaminants in the environment and identify levels of exposure at which health health may be adversely affected. These scientists then provide guidance to the public about contaminant exposure. As part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Epidemiology Branch and its scientists analyze biological and environmental samples to measure how much exposure to a certain substance or agent may cause adverse effects, such as a susceptibility to disease. The institute's research groups study a wide range of environmental and health topics, such as the potential environmental causes of Parkinson's disease, environmental factors related to respiratory illness, the effects of the environment on the human genome, and the relationship between environmental factors and childhood development.[11][12][13]
Exposure science
Exposure science is linked to environmental epidemiology and toxicology. It focuses on how exposure to certain environmental factors may produce specific health outcomes. According to the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES), exposure science looks at how hazardous substances or agents found in workplaces and the natural environment may become health hazards. Exposure scientists identify these hazards, conduct research on potentially harmful conditions in the environment or in the workplace, and make recommendations for improving workplace or community safety.[14][15]
Toxicology
Toxicology is a broad, interdisciplinary study focused on the adverse effects of chemicals and toxic substances on human health. Within environmental health, toxicology looks at the effects of chemicals on the environment and human health. Toxicologists conduct experiments to identify links between specific substances on the environment and human biology. Toxicologists consider natural and human-caused toxins and chemicals in an attempt to predict the short- and long-term impacts on human health. This knowledge is used to establish the level of chemical exposure that is considered safe for human beings as well as the level at which certain toxic substances will have adverse health effects. Toxicology also looks at how toxic substances or chemicals affect the health of lakes, streams, oceans, forests, and the atmosphere.[16][17][18][19]
Agencies and organizations
- The Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) is a federal agency focusing on environmental health research. The agency also provides technical assistance to federal, state, and local agencies.[20][21]
- The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences began in 1969 as part of the National Institute of Health. Its main research areas include the effects of environmental factors on childhood development, respiratory health, cancer formation, and blood and neurological health.[22][23][24]
- The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) is a professional environmental health organization. Its stated mission is "to advance the environmental health and protection professional for the purpose of providing a healthful environment for all." The organization established two professional credentials for its members—a Registered Environmental Health Specialist credential and a Registered Sanitarian credential. As of February 2015, the NEHA operated 10 national credential programs related to environmental health specialties such as food safety and hazardous substances. The association had approximately 4,500 members nationwide as of February 2015.[25][26][27]
- The World Health Organization (WHO) is a subset of the United Nations. The organization focuses on global health issues as well as environmental health. The bulk of the organization's environmental health work involves research and policy development in the areas of air and water pollution, food safety, and disease prevention. The group's Public Health and Environment Department oversees the organization's research on environmental health.[28]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ World Health Organization, "Environmental health," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ National Environmental Health Association, "About NEHA," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, "Research Highlights," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, "About NIEHS," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ Centers for Disease Control, "A Brief History of NCEH," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ World Health Organization, "Household (Indoor) Air Pollution," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ World Health Organization, "Air pollution and health," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ World Health Organization, "International Programme on Chemical Safety," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ World Health Organization, "Water Sanitation Health," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ World Health Organization, "Environmental health in emergencies," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, "Epidemiology Branch," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Cancer Institute, "Environmental Epidemiology," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Department of Health, "Environmental Epidemiology," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ University of Washington, "Exposure Science," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ International Society of Exposure Science, "About," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ University of California-Davis, "Environmental Toxicology," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, "SETAC's Mission," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ Medical News, "What is Toxicology?" accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ EnvironmentalToxicology.org, "What is Environmental Toxicology?" accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Environmental Health, "CDC’s Environmental Health Laboratory," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Environmental Health, "About the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, "Research Highlights," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, "About NIEHS," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, "NIEHS Priority Areas and Programs," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Environmental Health Association, "About NEHA," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ National Environmental Health Association, accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ National Environmental Health Association, "About NEHA," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ World Health Organization, "The Department of Public Health and Environment," accessed February 11, 2015
