Citation

Thacker SB, Stroup DF, Parrish RG, Anderson HA. Am. J. Public Health 1996; 86(5): 633-638.

Affiliation

Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga. 30333, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8629712

PMCID

PMC1380469

Abstract

This article describes environmental public health surveillance and proposes a framework to enhance its practice in the United States. Special issues for surveillance in environmental public health are examined, and examples of existing systems useful for environmental public health practice are provided. Current and projected surveillance needs, as well as potential sources of data, are examined. The proposed framework for conducting environmental public health surveillance involves data from three points in the process by which an agent in the environment produces an adverse outcome in a host: hazards, exposures, and outcomes. Environmental health practitioners should build on efforts in other fields (e.g., infectious diseases and occupational health) to establish priorities in the surveillance of health conditions associated with exposure to environmental toxicants. For specific surveillance programs, existing data systems, as well as data gaps, should be identified. Coordinated surveillance systems can facilitate public health efforts to prevent and control disease, injury, and disability related to the interaction between people and their environment.

Language: en