Funded Program:
Environmental and Health Effect Tracking; Program Announcement #3074

Program Description:

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH) will conduct a project designed to demonstrate and evaluate methods for linking data from existing health effects surveillance systems with data from existing human exposure and environmental hazards surveillance/monitoring systems in Louisiana. The methods, tools, and best practices developed through the project will be used to advance the development of an environmental public health tracking (EPHT) network at the state, local, and national levels. The health department’s lead in-state partner will be the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ).

The program’s specific objectives are to

• Implement a project in the geographic regions surrounding 32 creosote hazardous waste sites that will link Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTP) data with LDEQ's data on groundwater contaminants and drinking water data from the Safe Drinking Water Program, LDHH/Office of Public Health (OPH)
• Demonstrate the utility of linked health and environmental data in developing state guidelines and policy
• Develop and implement communication strategies to disseminate information about public health and the environment to the general public, industry, government agencies, and legislators
• Establish and formalize mechanisms for interagency collaboration and data sharing for EPHT
• Assemble an EPHT Advisory work group with technical experts, health and environmental agency personnel, academics, and community representatives
• Evaluate the program for its utility, feasibility, propriety, and accuracy.

Within the state, concerns have been raised about the potential health and environmental impacts of the high concentration of petrochemical refineries and chemical manufacturing plants, high pesticide use, and presence of abandoned wood treatment sites from logging operations. In 2003, the Louisiana State Legislature passed an Act that charged the LDHH, and the OPH (in conjunction with LDEQ) to develop an environmental health surveillance system. This cooperative agreement will allow the state to begin fulfilling that mandate and to coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure compatibility with the developing the National EPHT Network.

Finally, the project will provide Louisiana an opportunity to respond to public demand for accurate and accessible environmental health information, increase the availability of health and environmental data in the state, and improve the state’s environmental response capabilities.