The practice of environmental health in an era of sustainable development

Environmental health practice is concerned with assessing, controlling, and preventing factors in the environment that can potentially affect human health. This chapter briefly discusses the roots and origins of environmental health practice from earliest times to the present day, against a backdrop of current international initiatives highlighting health, environment, and sustainable development issues of global concern. The concept and scope of environmental health is discussed, before highlighting environmental health issues and the burden of environmentally related disease, which are of importance in directing the work of the environmental health practitioner. It then addresses the multifactorial nature of environmental health effects, the role of epidemiology and toxicology, and the basic elements of the risk assessment process. Next, tools to aid decision-making are introduced followed by a discussion on the role of intersectoral action and partnerships. The final section of the chapter addresses policy elements and actions which can be taken to address environmental health issues, and the implications for environmental health management and service delivery. A greater capacity to influence policy agendas outside of the health sector will be needed in future.