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Our Mission: Our Goals: Our Tools: CDC’s Division of Environmental Hazards & Health Effects (EHHE) focuses primarily on the following: Air Pollution and Respiratory Health EHHE researches and investigates the effects of airborne environmental agents on respiratory diseases. Focus areas include asthma and mold. Asthma Through its National Asthma Control Program, EHHE works with state grantees to reduce the number of deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, school days or workdays missed, and limitations on activity due to asthma. The program has three components: (1) tracking: collecting and analyzing data on an ongoing basis to understand when, where, and in whom asthma occurs; (2) interventions: ensuring that scientific information is translated into public health practices and programs to reduce the burden of asthma; and (3) partnerships: ensuring that all stakeholders have the opportunity to be involved in developing, implementing, and evaluating local asthma control programs. Mold Chemical and Radiologic Terrorism EHHE is developing guidelines for emergency department management of casualties following a radiologic event. EHHE participates regularly in emergency response drills, working closely with other federal, state, and local agencies to develop, test, and implement extensive national radiologic emergency response plans. EHHE will coordinate federal, state and local partners in assessing human health risks from chemical threats to water, air, and food. Environmental Public Health Tracking The environment plays a significant role in human development and health. Some links between environmental exposures and disease, such as lead and impaired cognitive development in children, are well documented. Others, such as a possible link between disinfectant byproducts and bladder cancer are suspected but not yet proven. EHHE defines environmental public health tracking as the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, and interpretation of data on environmental hazards, exposure to environmental hazards, and health effects potentially related to exposure to environmental hazards. EHHE is leading creation of the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. The standards-based network will allow direct electronic data reporting and linkage within and across health effect, exposure, and hazard data and will interoperate with other public health systems. EHHE also develops innovative methods and tools for tracking environmental hazards and associated health effects, disseminates environmental public health information to diverse audiences, and studies the links between environmental hazards, exposures, and health effects. Health Studies EHHE investigates the human health effects of exposure to environmental hazards ranging from chemical pollutants to natural, technologic, or terrorist disasters. The results are used to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies for preventing or reducing harmful exposures. The following are examples of current health study subject areas: Cancer Clusters Confined Animal Feeding Operations Disasters Pesticides Harmful Algal Blooms Water, Air, and Food Radiation Studies EHHE identifies potentially harmful environmental exposures to ionizing radiation and associated toxicants, conducts energyrelated health research, and responds to protect the public’s health in the event of an emergency involving radiation or radioactive materials.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention How to contact the Division: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention January 2003, NCEH Pub. No. 02-0750
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| About NCEH This page last reviewed October 06, 2004 |