Public Health Law

Environmental Health is the branch of public health that is concerned with the health implications inherent in both the natural and built enviroments in which we operate every day. Experts in environmental health are concerned with air quality, food and waste sanitation, safe drinking water, disaster preparedness, and the effects of toxic substances on human beings, among other things. The three basic disciplines that comprise environmental health practice are environmental epidemiology, toxicology, and environmental exposure science.

Environmental health experts seek to discover and promote awareness of hazards both naturally occurring and those that occur as a result of where we live, where we work, and where our children play. They look not only to naturally occurring substances, but also those that may be introduced into our communities by way of products, chemicals, or byproducts of our way of life.

The term built environment encompasses those environments that are man-made. This can include homes, buildings, and vehicles, but can also include parks and outdoor areas. The natural environment, on the other hand, is simply that: natural. It includes all naturally occurring areas, species, and interactions therein.

The built environment is defined as the human-made features of our communities. The way we design and build our communities can affect our physical and mental health; in turn designing and building healthy communities can improve the quality of life for all people. (APHA)

Online Resources

• APHA Built Environment
  • APHA promotes healthy built environments and community design by advancing transportation and land use decisions that consider health, safety and equity.
• Zoning to Encourage Healthy Eating
  • From a public health perspective, zoning can be instrumental to promote physical activity, increase safety, and promote good nutrition. 
• Zoning to Encourage Physical Activity
  • Creating or modifying environments to make it easier for people to walk or bike is a strategy that not only helps increase physical activity, but can make our communities better places to live.
• ChangeLab Solutions Healthy Housing

Journals

• International Journal of Law in the Built Environment

Articles

• Siting Green Infrastructure: Legal and Policy Solutions to Alleviate Urban Poverty and Promote Healthy Communities -
  37 B.C. Envtl. Aff. L. Rev. 41 (2010)
• Pursuing Health Equity: Zoning Codes and Public Health Equity - 39 J.L. Med. & Ethics 94 (2011)
• Obesity, Poverty, and the Built Environment:  Challenges and Opportunities - 15 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 821 (2008)
• Law as a Tool for Preventing Chronic Diseases: Expanding the Spectrum of Effective Public Health Strategies

CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. Estimating illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths for various types of diseases is a common and important public health practice. (CDC)