WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH?

There are a number of different ways of defining environmental health. Some describe it as a scientific field of study similar to biology or chemistry, while others refer to it as an applied discipline similar to medicine or public health, and still others include both characterizations (Fromkin 2010; World Health Organization 2010b). The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), describes environmental health as both a scientific field of study that attempts to understand “the complex relationship between environmental risk factors and human biology within affected individuals and populations” and as an applied discipline that “uses this knowledge to prevent illness, reduce disease, and promote health” (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 2006: 5).

Many different scientific disciplines develop knowledge related to environmental health, including: ecology, toxicology, epidemiology, exposure biology, environmental medicine, genetics and genomics, cell and reproductive biology, endocrinology, neurology, microbiology, environmental economics, climatology, and meteorology (Frumkin 2010a). Applied environmental health disciplines implement practices and policies that promote environmental health. These include: occupational health, industrial hygiene, solid and hazardous waste management, water management, public health, forestry management, urban planning, agriculture, environmental engineering, ergonomics, and environmental law and ethics (Frumkin 2010a). (See Table 2.1.)