Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with how physical, chemical, biological, and social environmental factors affect human health.
The environment includes much more than air and water. It also includes the sounds people encounter, the places where they live and work, transportation systems, housing, sanitation, climate, and other conditions that can shape health.
Environmental health therefore includes issues such as air and water quality, food safety, sanitation, waste, chemical exposures, radiation, housing conditions, climate-related hazards, and environmental noise.
The field considers both individual exposures and broader environmental conditions that can influence health across populations.
QUICK FACT
Environmental health is concerned not only with preventing disease, but also with creating environments that support health and well-being.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
- Public health: the broader field concerned with protecting and improving the health of populations.
- Occupational health: focuses specifically on health risks and protection in relation to work.
SEE ALSO
