ENVIRONMENTAL
[edit] Environmental Health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), environmental health addresses all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviors. It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health. It is targeted toward preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments. This WHO definition excludes behavior not related to environment, as well as behavior related to the social and cultural environment and genetics.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has several programs addressing environmental health spread throughout all three ODH divisions, but most reside in the Bureau of Environmental Health in the Division of Prevention. This bureau also works closely with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), as well as local, federal and other state partners.
The Ohio Department of Health’s Bureau of Environmental Health determined a comprehensive internal and external stakeholder review of their communication; stakeholder collaboration, information technology, and customer service were needed to review operations and service delivery. In January 2010, the project was initiated to review present and future environmental health service delivery options from internal and external stakeholders. External stakeholders included local public health agencies, private environmental health related industries, other state agencies and academic institutions. Internal stakeholders included senior management, the Healthy Ohio program, ODH’s Data Center, as well as the BEH staff. An online survey questionnaire was completed by these groups on the focus areas of communication, stakeholder collaboration, information technology, and customer service. A subset of the external group and the internal group met separately to formulate recommendations for the bureau. The final sets of voted on recommendations from both groups can be viewed by clicking the link below.
TipthePlanet Details about ODH's environmental health programs follow.
1. Asbestos
The Asbestos program licenses and certifies companies and persons directly involved with the asbestos abatement industry. The program regulates contractors performing asbestos removal projects, project supervisors, project designers, workers removing asbestos, persons inspecting buildings for asbestos-containing materials and developing plans to manage asbestos found in a facility, persons conducting air sampling for asbestos and the companies that provide required asbestos training. Asbestos-Photo.jpg
The Ohio Department of Health Asbestos program ensures the safety and quality of asbestos services by requiring persons to take approved training that is specific to the asbestos related activities in which they will be involved and by inspecting/auditing the activities of the program participants.
For questions on certification and licensure, asbestos hazard abatement projects and training course approvals please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section
2. Indoor Air
The Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Health houses the Indoor Environments Section. This section contains the Ohio smoke-free workplace program (enforcement), the school environmental health and safety program and the asthma program. Below you will find links to these programs' individual Web pages. The section's staff also provide technical assistance regarding indoor air quality. The staff offers consultation services to the public in reference to health concerns related to mold, heating, ventilation
3. Food Safety
The Food Safety Program provides assistance in all aspects of food safety to local health department staff, the food service industry and the general public. Technical experts are available to provide current information on food safety as it applies to licensable food service operations
4. Health Assessment
In 1990, the Ohio Department of Health Health Assessment Section (HAS) entered into a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a U.S. Public Health Service Agency. The goal of this partnership is to serve the public by using the best environmental science, providing accurate health information and taking public health actions to prevent harmful exposures and disease related to toxic substances.
Today’s complex environmental public health problems require a coordinated response from multiple agencies, organizations and a variety of health professionals. The HAS works closely with the ATSDR, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ohio EPA, local health departments and concerned communities to investigate and eliminate the public health threat posed by toxic substances in the environment
