Today is World Environmental Health Day – environmental health care promotes a healthy environment

The aim of environmental health care is to identify, prevent and eliminate health hazards in the environment. This includes monitoring health protection, food products, animal health and welfare, and compliance with the Tobacco Act, as well as basic veterinary services. In Espoo, Kirkkonummi and Kauniainen, Espoo Region Environmental Health Services is responsible for these tasks.

World Environmental Health Day was launched in 2011. This year’s theme is “Global environmental public health: Standing up to protect everyone’s health each and every day”.

There are various things in our environment that can pose a threat to our health. Here are some examples:

• Improperly stored food makes people sick.
• Disease-causing microbes end up in domestic water due to a broken pipe.
• High concentrations of radon gas are released from the soil into indoor areas, increasing the risk of lung cancer.
• During a hot summer, indoor temperatures are too high, resulting in increased mortality.
• Fine particles generated during combustion processes increase the risk of premature death.
• Parasites in pets pose a risk of disease for people.

A healthy environment is ensured in many ways. Every year, the units responsible for monitoring environmental health draw up a monitoring plan that determines, for example, the frequency of site inspections and the content of inspections. The quality of domestic water and bathing waters is monitored through regular sampling.

Operators have to submit a written notification to the municipal health protection authority of the establishment of activities that may cause a health hazard to customers or housing. The obligation also applies to food business operators who have to submit a notification of their activities or obtain approval for their activities from the food control authority.

Part of environmental health care is to be prepared for various exceptional situations, such as food- and water-borne epidemics. Various types of exercises are also an important part of preparedness.

Environmental health care involves multidisciplinary cooperation with other authorities, such as health services, environmental protection, building control, the rescue department and the police.

Read more about World Environmental Health Day(external link, opens in a new window).

Read more about Espoo Region Environmental Health Services.

Watch a video about environmental health monitoring(external link, opens in a new window).