Key points
- Learn how environmental health (EH) programs deliver important services to protect their communities.
- Typical services offered by these programs include inspecting restaurants, pools, and other facilities, investigating outbreaks, and assisting with emergency response.
- These services aim to protect our health in the environments where we live, work, and play.
Environmental health programs work to keep communities safe
Did you take a shower, drink a glass of water, eat at a restaurant, or go for a swim today? We can engage in these everyday activities without worrying about getting sick because environmental health professionals work behind the scenes to keep them safe. For example, permitting and inspection programs help prevent outbreaks in restaurants, school cafeterias, swimming pools, and other facilities.
EH practitioners also investigate outbreaks to identify their environmental causes. They often perform critical functions during emergency responses. Examples include assessing shelters and food establishments, testing drinking water supplies, and controlling disease-carrying organisms (vectors).
Content Source:
National Center for Environmental Health