The mission of AEHAP is to support environmental health education to assure the optimal health of people and the environment.

Environmental Health Workforce Shortage Puts the Health of People and the Environment at Risk

Environmental Health (EH) professionals are the individuals who monitor air quality, water and noise pollution, toxic substances and pesticides, conduct restaurant inspections, carry out vector control and promote healthy land use and housing and more. EH professionals also perform research on a variety of topics including environmental toxins, communicable disease outbreaks, and human health impacts of environmental catastrophes such as hurricanes. They are best known for their efforts to ensure safe food, water, air quality and sanitary conditions.

EH professionals address a growing number of environmental health threats including bed bug infestations, tainted food outbreaks such as Escherichia coli, failing waste water systems, West Nile virus, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), bio/agro-terrorism (intentional tainting of food) and the human health impacts of terrorist attacks and environmental catastrophes. The growing number of environmental health threats, call for an increase in the number of trained environmental health professionals entering the workforce.

Environmental Health (EH) practitioners represent up to a quarter of the local public health workforce yet an estimated 40%–50% of the EH workforce in state and local agencies are eligible to retire in the next five years, leaving major workforce gaps.

Environmental Health Risk Factors

In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that approximately 76 million new cases off food-related illness (resulting in 5,000 deaths and 325,000 hospitalizations) occur in the United States each year. More recent data on sporadic illnesses and outbreaks suggests that this problem is not going away.

According to a 2010 study by Dr. Robert L Scharff called Health-Related Costs from Foodborne Illness in the United States, food borne illnesses cost the United States $152 billion in health-related expenses each year.

Environmental public health services have been the backbone of public health in the U.S. since 1798. (American Public Health Association)

The evidence shows that environmental risk factors play a role in more than 80% of the diseases regularly reported by the World Health Organization. Globally, nearly one quarter of all deaths and of the total disease burden can be attributed to the environment. (Report: Preventing Disease through Health Environments, World Health Organization, 2006)

How You Can Protect Public Health and the Environment

Are you concerned about the growing number of environmental health threats? Become a member of AEHAP today and join us in our efforts to educate policy makers about the importance of funding environmental health services.

Are you a faculty member interested in environmental health? You can help by working with us create more National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) accredited programs. Give us a call if you’d like to create a program at your college or university. Learn about the undergraduate and graduate guidelines at: www.ehacoffice.org

Are you a college-bound high school student? Consider a career in environmental health. You can earn a degree from one of our quality accredited member programs. A degree in environmental health offers a range of opportunities. Learn more at: www.careersenvhealth.com.

Environmental Health Student Profile of the Month

AEHAP is pleased to highlight extraordinary students in our member environmental health science degree programs.

Meet Patrice Bland

Graduation Year: 2012

School: Mississippi Valley State University

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