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Research Article: Evaluation of the Capacity for Local Health Departments to Help the Public Address Poor Indoor Environmental Quality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2009

Sharron LaFollette  and
Angela Hobson
Sharron LaFollette*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Studies, University of Illinois, Springfield, Illinois
Angela Hobson
Affiliation:
Jefferson County Department of Health and Environment, Golden, Colorado
*
Sharron LaFollette, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Illinois at Springfield, PO Box 19243. PAC 318, Springfield, IL 62794–9243; (fax) 217-206-7807; (e-mail) lafollette.sharron@uis.edu.
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Extract

The public is becoming aware of the role that the indoor environment plays on their overall health. Nationwide health objectives recommend that the local public health infrastructure provide resources and services to help the general public identify and address poor indoor environmental quality. The authors surveyed certified and non-certified municipal, local, and state regional health departments in Illinois to identify free publicly available resources to help the general public address indoor environmental quality in their homes, schools, and non-industrial workplaces. Most local health departments surveyed indicated that they are not capable of adequately addressing indoor environmental issues in their community. Available services in Illinois appear to be limited primarily to literature distribution and phone consultation in most of the health departments statewide. A general survey of state health departments indicated that Illinois is representative of a nationwide inability to adequately address indoor environmental quality issues through local health department services.

Type
Features & Reviews
Information
Environmental Practice , Volume 3 , Issue 4 , December 2001 , pp. 237 - 246
Copyright
Copyright © National Association of Environmental Professionals 2001

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