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ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH INDICATORS
Citation:
LOBDELL, D. T., P. MURPHY, AND R. L. CALDERON. ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH INDICATORS. Presented at 19th International Society of Environmental Epidemiology Annual Meeting, Mexico City, MEXICO, September 06 - 09, 2007.
Description:
Environmental Public Health Indicators (EPHIs), quantitative measures of health factors and environmental influences tracked over time, can be used to identify specific areas and populations for intervention and prevention efforts and to evaluate the outcomes of implemented policies or programs for improving environmental public health.
As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Indicator Initiative, efforts are underway to develop and validate EPHI¿s that reflect the impact on public health that results from environmental regulations and management programs and to help clarify the benefits and costs associated with further environmental improvements. This effort requires valid and relevant epidemiologic data and information as fundamental building blocks.
Finding, retrieving, and analyzing the right data to support indicators at the appropriate spatial scale for specific decision-making purposes is a challenge underlying this effort. This presentation will describe the EPHIs Initiative including the challenges in the development of indicators. The Report on the Environment 2007¿s health chapter will be highlighted as well as current pilot study efforts to evaluate potential indicators for exposure to air and drinking water contaminants and possible health effects. (This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.)