Environmental Public Health Surveillance System

Environmental Public Health is concerned with environmental hazards (all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person capable of causing harm), the environmental exposure to those hazards and the possible resultant health outcomes (e.g. asthma caused by air pollution). Thus there are several types of data which can be collected to inform us regarding this. For example, for environmental hazards there is data being collected on the level of radon in homes; if these levels are reduced, some lung cancer will be prevented. Blood carbon monoxide levels can be collected to ascertain the level of environmental exposure. Through surveillance of these factors we may be able to find links from environmental hazards to health outcomes and vice versa.

Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) and Environmental Public Health Surveillance System (EPHSS)

EPHT can be defined as 'public health information to support management of environmental hazards'. The specific role of EPHT is to collect, collate and analyse environmental health data for a distinct purpose. Within this remit, Environmental Public Health Surveillance System is responsible for the collection and collation of environmental hazard data and health outcome data.

Data flows: environmental public health surveillance

Why do we need EPHSS?

1. There are several ongoing programmes in HPA and elsewhere that provide information on known chemical and environmental hazards to health. However, HPA would benefit from integrated population-based surveillance, to integrate information about different aspects of a hazard and facilitate the application of public health principles in order to implement measures to reduce harm. Significant benefits from use of the principles of Tracking have already been realised in dealing with environmental hazards such as radon.
2. Ongoing measurement of benefits against cost of interventions committed, in order to reduce the burden of disease, would exploit many strengths of CRCE and improve CRCE's ability to evaluate the health and cost benefits of its activities in addressing known chemical environmental hazards. This approach is an essential requirement of public health practice in an era of shrinking resources and increasing demand. 
3. Although not usually funded by HPA, interventions in the housing, transport and energy sectors among others have recognised public health implications. There is a critical need to define and develop robust approaches to enable evaluation and monitoring of interventions potentially affecting public health. EPHSS is well placed to support CRCE addressing this need.

What will EPHSS physically exist as?

The surveillance system will exist as an open, web-based system, with access restricted to appropriate stakeholders. It should be stated that surveillance will not be 'real time', i.e. there will be a certain lag period before data will be available.

We are currently in the stakeholder consultation phase of the project.