Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice
The Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice focuses on applying innovative data to detect environmental public health hazards, building the environmental public health evidence base, and developing and implementing environmental public health best practices. The division is part of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.
The air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the places where we live, work, and play all have an impact on our health.
DEHSP’s mission is supported by surveillance, epidemiology, technical assistance, training, and preparedness activities conducted by four branches. These branches and their programs provide critical environmental health support and funding for state, tribal, local, and territorial environmental health departments and other partners with similar missions.
- The Asthma and Community Health Branch focuses on asthma, air quality, carbon monoxide poisoning, climate and health, mold, and wildfires.
- The Emergency Management, Radiation, and Chemical Branch focuses on radiation studies, chemical emergency and weapons elimination, health studies, and preparedness and emergency management.
- The Lead Poisoning Prevention and Environmental Health Tracking Branch establishes data standards and leads programmatic efforts.
- The Water, Food, Environmental Health Services Branch focuses on safe water, food safety, environmental health practice, and cruise ship (vessel) sanitation.
DEHSP was created in 2018 as part of a strategic realignment within NCEH. It includes the former Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services and Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects.
CDC’s Environmental Health Nexus (EH Nexus) is a communication network committed to communicating about environmental health to everyone who might use this information, including interested members of the public, people in a position to affect the environmental health of communities, and environmental public health professionals.